Francis Ngannou has the world at his feet right now. ‘The Predator’ violently knocked out Stipe Miocic to crown himself ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’. The options in front of Ngannou [https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/francis-ngannou/] are now limitless and range from a match against the ‘GOAT’ Jon Jones to a rematch against Derrick Lewis. Being a champion in any weight class in the UFC means having a target on your back, as there are not only fighters from the UFC, but also from other organizations that are calling out Francis Ngannou. Ex-UFC fighter, Brandon Vera, is one such name. [https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/image03-11.jpeg] In a chat with The Schmo, ‘The Truth [https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Brandon-Vera-4886]’ said, “That being said, maybe not now, maybe not next year, but Mr Francis Ngannou, one day, maybe we can go belt-for-belt. That’d be a good time….. I’m glad I put it out there. I’m glad the rest of the world gets to hear it. Cause it is what needs to happen sooner or later.” Read: Five Surprising Facts About UFC Announcer Bruce Buffer [https://www.essentiallysports.com/ufc-mma-news-five-surprising-facts-about-ufc-announcer-bruce-buffer/] BRANDON VERA SLAMS THE UFC FOR NOT PAYING JON JONES ENOUGH TO FACE FRANCIS NGANNOU The Schmo also asked Vera who he thought would be the heavyweight champion in the UFC at the end of 2020 and if he thought a fight between Jones and Ngannou would take place. He said, “My money is still on Francis, I don’t think that fight (between Jones and Ngannou) will happen. I don’t think the UFC would bend to ensure the fighters are taken care of respectfully and with what they deserve. Cause can you imagine Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou? That’s probably going to be the biggest payday that the UFC is ever going to make, and they don’t want to share at least a quarter of that with the athletes that are going to make it happen? So I doubt it is ever going to happen.” Vera is the current heavyweight champion at ONE Championship. He won the vacant belt against Paul Cheng with a stunning first-round knockout win. He has defended the belt twice against the likes of Hideki Sekine and Mauro Cerilli. Both defenses came via first-round knockouts. In his most recent fight, Aung La Nsang knocked him out in the first round and derailed his bid to become a two-division champion. Vera will hope to bounce back in his next title defense against Arjan Bhullar and keep the belt-for-belt fight alive. 

ONE Championship heavyweight and former UFC fighter Brandon Vera calls out UFC
champion Francis Ngannou for a belt-for-belt matchup.

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Francis Ngannou

FRANCIS NGANNOU Francis Ngannou: Net Worth 2024, Record, Stats &amp; More LAS VEGAS, NEVADA &#8211; MARCH 27: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon reacts after his victory over Stipe Miocic in their UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 260 event at UFC APEX on March 27, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Who is Francis Ngannou? Francis Ngannou is one of the scariest heavyweights on the planet. &#8220;The Predator&#8221; is known for his insane knockouts of top-ranked heavyweights in the UFC. Not only does Francis knock them out, but he also knocks them out early. It&#8217;s been ten years since Cameroon-born Francis Xavier Ngannou became a professional mixed martial arts fighter. The aspiring boxer, who made his pro-boxing debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 28 October 2023, entered the octagon for the first time on November 30, 2013, and two years later joined UFC, where he remained for the next eight years. Now, he prepares for his next fight against two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on March 8, again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Francis Ngannouâ€™s Early Life Francis Ngannou was born September 5, 1986, in a village in Batie, Cameroon. The information regarding his education or schooling remains limited. According to a website, he had to walk for about two hours to attend a school six miles from his residence. Another portal even mentioned him switching at least five schools. Anyhow, he started working in a sand quarry at age ten. As almost every fan and follower might be aware, though he could easily converse in French, over the years, Ngannou learned English as well. A few years ago, Ngannou had shared a beautiful photo of his family, three brothers, and a sister, standing around their mother, Mamma Ngannou, who divorced her husband, Emmanuel Fosso, when the future UFC Heavyweight champion was barely six. Francis Ngannouâ€™s Girlfriend The 37-year-old fighter remains a bachelor and, per available reports, doesn&#8217;t seem to be dating anyone. However, according to a July article in The Sun, UK Edition, there were rumors that he was seeing former UFC Bantamweight champion Meisha Tate, but that remains unconfirmed. Recently, there have been rumors of Kim Kardashian supposedly looking to woo the Cameroonian-French Heavyweight. Adding fuel to the fire is Ngannou&#8217;s recent suggestive exchanges on Kim Kardashian&#8217;s social media posts. Francis Ngannouâ€™s Net Worth 2024 According to the celebrity net worth, the 37-year-old Cameroonian-French fighter has, over the years, amassed a wealth that hovers in the vicinity of $5 million. Hence, it would be fair to assume that participation in the UFC contests would have formed the lion&#8217;s share of his lifetime earnings. MMA: UFC 270-Ngannou vs Gane, Jan 22, 2022 Anaheim, California, USA Francis Ngannou speaks with media following his championship victory at UFC 270 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports, 22.01.2022 00:01:41, 17551666, NPStrans, Francis Ngannou, Honda Center, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 17551666 There seems to be no unanimity over his take home from the MMA fights alone. While MMA Salaries cites around $3,779,500, The Sports Lite mentions around $4,179,000. Thus, averaging it at $4,000,000 would make his annual income during the eight years he was with the UFC makes it $500,000. Anyhow, according to a January article on GiveMeSport, the annual salary of Francis Ngannou varied as follows:  2015 $25,000  2016 $175,000  2017 $220,000  2018 $900,000  2019 $525,000  2020 $320,000  2021 $900,000  2022 $1,200,000  Let&#8217;s look at some of the critical paydays of Ngannou&#8217;s career. It included his base salary, the bonus for winning, and the sponsorship deal and share in the PPV subscriptions: Versus Luis Henrique, December 2015 &#8211; For his first fight under the UFC banner, Francis Ngannou took home approximately $22,500 (no performance bonus)  Versus Curtis Blaydes, April 2016 &#8211; $26,500 (no performance bonus)  Versus Bojan Mihajlovic, July 2016 &#8211; $30,500 (no performance bonus)  Versus Anthony Hamilton, December 2016 &#8211; $124,500 (performance bonus $50,000)  Versus Andrei Arlovski, January 2017 &#8211; $128,000 (performance bonus $50,000)  Versus Alistair Overeem, December 2017 &#8211; $90,000 (no performance bonus)  Versus Stipe Miocic, January 2018 &#8211; $530,000 (no performance bonus)  Versus Derrick Lewis, July 2018 &#8211; $105,000 (no performance bonus)  Versus Curtis Blaydes II, November 2018 &#8211; $255,000 (performance bonus $50,000)  Versus Cain Velasquez, February 2019 &#8211; $225,000 (no performance bonus)  Versus Junior Dos Santos, June 2019 &#8211; $300,000 (performance bonus $50,000)  Versus Jairzinho Rozenstruik, May 2020 &#8211; $320,000 (performance bonus $50,000)  Versus Stipe Miocic II, March 2021 &#8211; $580,000 (performance bonus $50,000)  Versus Cyril Gane, January 2022 &#8211; $1,042,000 (PPV earnings $400,000) It would be imprudent to conclude that Francis Ngannou made his fortune entirely through mixed martial arts bouts. A close perusal across portals reveals that The Predator could have had or still has endorsement deals with Cryo Pain Relief, CBD Research Labs, Gym King Fight Division, and The Fight Game. According to Forbes, Francis Ngannou invested in the healthy snack brand PeaTos two years ago. The move made him one of the minority stakeholders in the company. Credits &#8211; Imago Finally, after his exit from the UFC this year, the Predator signed up with the Professional Fighters League, where he might receive as much as $4 million for each fight. Additionally, benefits such as chairmanship of the franchise&#8217;s African promotions and greater involvement in the athletic advisory board also appear in the offing. In contrast to his entire MMA career, sources suggest that the Cameroonian-French hard hitter will earn much more in his boxing stints. His debut in the fight format against the WBC champion,Â Tyson Fury,Â solidified his name in the heavyweight division. That Riyadh fight alone earned him a jaw-dropping $10 million, his highest paycheck ever. Through it all, his current estimated net worth in 2024 stands at an impressive $15 million (approx). For his upcoming fight against AJ, Ngannou is guaranteed to take home about $2o million, which will make his net worth significantly higher in the coming days. Francis Ngannouâ€™s MMA and Boxing Career Timeline It might be interesting for many to know that Francis Ngannou&#8217;s initial interest in combat sports remained boxing. He had always been a Mike Tyson fan. However, during his stay in Paris, France, he met another Cameroonian-French mixed martial arts fighter and now coach, Fernand Lopez Owonyebe, at his MMA Factory gym. The latter introduced him to the nuances and scope of MMA, besides allowing him to stay at the gym. By 2013, Francis Ngannou was ready and launched his professional career on November 30. The bout occurred under the French promotion 100% Fight: Contenders 20. Ngannou was on a ten-fight win streak before he faced the UFC heavyweight champion,Â Stipe Miocic. He had obliterated his previous opponents with T/KO&#8217;s and submissions. &#8216;The Predator&#8217; has one of the most devastating knockouts in the UFC againstÂ Alistair Overeem. With a resume like that, Ngannou was next in line to be the heavyweight champion. However, during his title fight against Miocic, Ngannou got overconfident, and it exposed many holes in his game. It took some effort for Ngannou to recover from the loss. His next fight with Derrick Lewis lacked action. He lost to &#8216;The Black Beast&#8217; by a unanimous decision. Many people thought Ngannou was done. However, he made an incredible comeback in his next fight against Curtis Blaydes, followed by his wins over UFC legend Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. &#8216;The Predator&#8217; has put together a 10-2Â recordÂ in the UFC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLqyRdwDzBQ&amp;ab_channel=UFC Let&#8217;s look at some of the big fights he participated in during the last five years: Versus Ciryl Gane, January 22, 2022: Francis Ngannou defeated fellow French fighter Ciryl Gane during the second title defense in Anaheim, California, unanimously.  Versus Stipe Miocic, March 27, 2021: The Predatory became the UFC Heavyweight champion, knocking out the Miocic with punches in the second round. The bout, additionally, fetched him the Performance of the Night award. The fight was equally crucial since it was the second time Ngannou and Miocic were squaring up. The first meet-up ended in a loss for the Cameroonian-French fighter&#8217;s loss. Versus Alistair Overeem, December 2, 2017: One of Francis Ngannou&#8217;s most well-recognized fights. He knocked out the dreaded, hard-hitting kickboxer Alistair Overeem with a bone-cracking left hook in the first round. It was a title eliminator that enabled him to challenge Stipe Miocic the following year. Versus Anthony Hamilton, December 9, 2016: Three years after his professional debut in the mixed martial arts world, the first-round win over the American Hamilton fetched Ngannou&#8217;s first Performance of the Night award. Given that he always wanted to try boxing before taking up mixed martial arts, The Predator finally received a chance to make a name for himself in the squared circle. Ngannou took on the undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a professional boxing match billed as &#8220;Battle of the Baddest&#8221; on October 28, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou was able to knock down Fury in the third round, taking the fight all the way to the scorecards, in which the judges awarded Fury the victory in a controversial split decision (95â€“94, 96â€“93, 94â€“95). According to CompuBox, Fury outlanded Ngannou 71 to 59 in total punches, while Ngannou outlanded Fury 37 to 32 in power punches. Now, he takes on Anthony Joshua in the second match of his pro-boxing career. WATCH: Insane 20-Second Knockout by Francis Ngannou Stuns UFC 249 Francis Ngannouâ€™s Contract Though Francis Ngannou and the UFC went their separate ways in late 2022, the issues broke out a few years ago. So problems arose with The Predator facing his second career loss at the hands of Stipe Miocic in 2018. Reportedly, UFC boss Dana White was very unhappy with the outcome because the franchise considered him one of the biggest stars in the making. The reversal resulted in Francis Ngannou waiting nearly three years to receive the next shot at the UFC Heavyweight championship. But the problems persisted despite him becoming a champion as he was given marching orders to defend his titles in August of that year. Given the short time gap, Ngannou requested that the fight be postponed to September, and finally, the second title defense came about in January of 2022. Additionally, The Predator had raised concerns regarding fighter&#8217;s pay and providing other benefits such as health insurance. The two sides disagreed with his contract with the franchise ending by December 2022. Finally, the UFC passed over his one-year matching rights clause. It rendered Francis Ngannou a free agent as a result. After B.J. Penn in 2004, he became the second only champion to move out of the fight promotions company. Francis Ngannou&#8217;s Deal with the PFL On May 16, 2023, it was announced that Ngannou had signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). He will be competing in their pay-per-view &#8220;super fight&#8221; division, while still being free to compete in other sports such as boxing. Ngannou also negotiated on behalf of his opponents, guaranteeing them to be paid at least $2 million. He will also be a part of PFL&#8217;s global advisory board, meant to advocate for fighters&#8217; interests, and an equity owner and chairman of the upcoming PFL Africa league. On February 22, 2024, it was announced that Ngannou would make his MMA return sometime this year against Renan Ferreira, the Heavyweight PFL winner of the PFL vs. Bellator event on February 24, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Francis Ngannouâ€™s Partnerships and Endorsements Ngannou hasÂ endorsedÂ Gym King Fight Division, CBD Research Labs,Â Cryo Pain Relief, and The Fight Game. Francis Ngannou&#8217;s relationship with Mike Tyson It was early in August 2023 when news came that Francis Ngannou would team up with the youngest Heavyweight champion in boxing history, Mike Tyson, to prepare him for the big fight against Tyson Fury. According to the former UFC Heavyweight champion, who always idolized the former Heavyweight champion, the two were already in talks since they first met in the latter&#8217;s podcast, Hotboxin with Mike Tyson. About their partnership, Mike Tyson said, &#8220;It&#8217;s no secret I back Ngannou 100 percent in this face-off of champions. He has one hard punch, and when it lands, it&#8217;s game over. I am looking forward to working with Ngannou and supporting his transition from the Octagon to the boxing ring.&#8221; Even though Francis Ngannou doesn&#8217;t have any real-time boxing experience except for his match against Tyson Fury, during his tenure with UFC and 100% Fight earlier, he built a formidable reputation as one of the planet&#8217;s foremost punchers. Francis Ngannouâ€™s Career Stats and Records Age: 37 years HEIGHT:Â 6&#8242; 4&#8243; WEIGHT:Â 250 lbs. REACH:Â 83&#8243; STANCE:Â Orthodox DOB:Â Sep 05, 1986 In boxing, Ngannou&#8217;s record reads, one fight, one loss. In UFC, it reads 14 fights, 12 wins, and two defeats. Eleven of his 12 victories came via TKO/KO/Submission, and his only defeats came through decisions. Francis Ngannou: Fighting Style Francis is predominantly a striker. He is perhaps one of the best boxers in the heavyweight division. Recently, he has also incorporated leg kicks in his game. He can chase the finish and counter his opponents comfortably. It is noteworthy that Ngannou is the hardest puncher in the UFC. Francis Ngannou: Achievements The fighter holds a stellar record ofÂ 17-3-0 in his MMA career and 0-1 in his boxing career. Ngannou has won five Performance of the Night bonuses against Anthony Hamilton, Andrei Arlovski, Curtis Blaydes, and Junior dos Santos. Ngannou&#8217;s knockout against Alistair Overeem earnedÂ him the Knockout of the Year Award. Francis Ngannou&#8217;s car collection and other luxuries For a sports celebrity with a net worth of $5 million, Francis Ngannou must have an enviable collection of automobiles in his garage. However, according to the website 21 Motoring, the jewels of his garage include the following: Rolls Royce Phantom VII: With a price tag of around $450,000, this luxury model&#8217;s 6.75-liter V12 engine produces 453 horsepower. It can accelerate up to 149 miles per hour and covers zero to sixty miles per hour speed in 5.7 seconds. Rolls Royce Ghost: Another beauty from the luxury car makers, the car&#8217;s features include a 6.6-liter V12 engine generating 563 horsepower. While its top speed is around 155 miles per hour, it can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 4.7 seconds. The market price of the Rolls Royce Ghost is stated to be around $300,000. Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG: A luxurious SUV from the German car makers comes with a 5.5-liter V8 engine producing 563 horsepower. Besides the seven-speed automatic transmission, the G63 AMG boasts a four-wheel drive. It can race from zero to sixty miles per hour in 5.3 seconds. The price of an AMG is said to be around $145,000. Francis Ngannouâ€™s Titles Francis Ngannou is a one-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. He remains one of the most influential Heavyweight fighters in MMA history. His accomplishments are well acknowledged, and as a result, he has been awarded multiple times across the board and platforms. Versus Alistair Overeem, December 2, 2017: The fight remains one of Francis Ngannou&#8217;s most recognized ones and, as a result, received the Knockout of the Year award as the following: Bleacher Report  ESPN  World MMA Awards  MMAjunkie.com  MMA Fighting / SB Nation  Pundit Arena  MMADNA.nl MMA Fighting / SB Nation gave him the 2017 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year award. Versus Stipe Miocic, March 27, 2021: The triumph over Stipe Micocic received the Knockout of the Month award from MMAjunkie.com He is the first UFC champion to have come from Cameroon.  With ten knockouts, Ngannou is second only to Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos in early stoppages in the history of the UFC&#8217;s Heavyweight division.?  With eleven overall stoppages, he stands alongside Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Stefan Struve for the third-highest finishes in the UFC&#8217;s Heavyweight division.  Finally, with six Performance of the Night? bonuses, he shares the honor with Kevin Holland, Israel Adesanya, and Anthony Smith.  He holds the record for the hardest punch ever recorded. Francis Ngannouâ€™s Social Media Accounts Twitter,Â Facebook,Â Instagram Personal Information:  Nickname The Predator  Age 37  Born September 5, 1986  Place of Birth BatiÃ©, Cameroon  Nationality Cameroonian-French  Siblings 4  Ethnicity Cameroonian  Gym MMA Factory Paris, UFC Performance Institute, Xtreme Couture  Height 6&#8242; 4&#8243; (193 cm)  Weight/ Division 261.5 lbs (heavyweight)  Reach 83&#8243;  Relationship/Marital Status NA  Children 0  Record UFC: 17-3-0, 0NC Boxing: 0-1  Active Win Streak 4  Wins by Stoppage (Submissions &amp; KO/TKO) 17 (11 T/KOs &amp; 4 Submissions)  Estimated Net Worth $15 million  Endorsements Gym King Fight Division, CBD Research Labs, Cryo Pain Relief, The Fight Game

One Championship Heavyweight Champion Brandon Vera Calls Out Francis Ngannou for a Belt-for-Belt Matchup

Brandon Vera slams the UFC for not paying Jon Jones enough to face Francis Ngannou