“Nobody Ever Believed in Me”- as Francis Ngannou Inches Towards $10M Payday, Ex-UFC Champ Pens Emotional Message Ahead of Tyson Fury Fight

Francis Ngannou has always been vocal about his struggles before becoming a global sensation. The 37-year-old Cameroonian fighter has even spent 2 months in jail before earning the spotlight for his knockouts. Despite ‘The Predator’s’ rise to fame, he carries the lessons of his troubled teenage years close. His recent split from the UFC has also irked many, and Ngannou has finally responded with an emotional note.

This comes right before Ngannou’s 10 million dollar fight, wherein ‘The Predator’ was hailed by his opponent for being a ‘genius.’ It is speculated that Ngannou’s decision to walk away from the promotion was motivated by clashes regarding healthcare and sponsorship for the fighters. The heavyweight champ’s exit from the top MMA promotion was a tough call, accompanied by huge backlash from the fans.

“Not born different. Built different” Francis Ngannou pens an emotional note

After his exit from the UFC, the 37-year-old heavyweight champion is all set to face Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion. The ‘Battle of the Baddest’ has since stirred up quite a few pots with legends like Mike Tyson endorsing ‘The Predator.’ In an interview with Eurosport, Tyson stated, “He’s a real power puncher, really fast for a big guy at 260. I think he’s going to do better than most people believe.”

In the wake of his face-off with Fury, Ngannou bore his heart out in a recent Instagram post. ‘The Predator’ reminisces while sharing a picture of him working out, how despite no one believing in his dream, the ‘long road of setbacks’ couldn’t daunt his spirit. Coming to a full circle in his life, he has realized that he is ‘not born different’ but ‘built different’.

” Since I was a kid my dream has always been to become a boxer. Nobody ever believed in me or my dream. There was no precedent for it. There was no opportunity for it. My village didn’t have a gym within a 50 mile radius,” wrote Ngannou. He adds, ” But I never gave up on my dream. Not even for a day. I didn’t know if I was going to make it but I did know with certainty that I was going to try it and give it my all no matter what. People always thought I was joking or that I was crazy by having such a dream. To them it was impossible. But guess what? Nobody knows sh*t. It has been a long road with many setbacks but now I’ve come full circle to get to this point. Here I am. Not born different. Built different.”

While fans were eagerly awaiting the Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones match, his PFL stint has got them equally excited, if not more. The criticism he faced initially for his exit seems to have died down with his post flooded with comments like “Just the fact he is boxing Tyson Fury! We already won.”

From Rags to Riches- Ngannou’s success story

Carrying a humble demeanor outside the cage in contradiction to his beastly knockouts during fights, Francis Ngannou has come a long way. The 2023 million-dollar contract was not an easy feat when only a decade back in 2013 he and his family were jailed for ‘illegally entering the European soil’ in search of a better life.

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In an earlier post on Instagram, while sharing a picture of him in his 20s, Ngannou wrote, “7 years ago we were freed by the Spanish homeland security after spending 2 months in jail for illegally entering on European soil by sea. This, after attempting for one year from Morocco. I had nothing by then but a dream and a faith of pursuing it.” He further adds while some people will always tell you ‘it’s too late’ or ‘it’s not meant for you’, it’s always up to you to make your own destiny.

The former champion further added, “It’s up to you and only you if you let them get to your mind, but you can also reject or ignore the negativities around you and make it in your own way.” With commendable resilience, Ngannou has also earned the respect of his next opponent. ” Everyone said he was an idiot for walking away from the UFC and now all of a sudden he’s a genius, isn’t he? Guy’s about to make $10 million. Come on! Egg in their face! Francis is going to make that bag. Rich!” Fury said enthusiastically while addressing the Press for the ‘Battle of the Baddest.’

Ngannou’s story undeniably feels like a story of ‘from rags to riches’. The seemingly overweight ‘Gypsy King’ also iterated during the press conference, that he was in no way underestimating Ngannou. So will the tables turn with an unexpected climax or will the people’s champion ultimately raise his hand? Keep an eye on this space to find out.

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