From the Parisian sidewalks to dragging his homeless misery by trying to sleep in the underground car parks to the peaks of the MMA: the fabulous fate of Francis Ngannou does not end.
On the night of Saturday to Sunday (4 hours live on RMC Sport), the former homeless man from the northern districts of Paris will set off to conquer the world heavyweight belt of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
To put it another way, it's the equivalent of the world title in the premier category of the most powerful MMA federation in the world: “In our sport, it's the equivalent of the Olympic 100m final. like a soccer World Cup final.
It's the best of the best: there is nothing better, ”said Fernand Lopez, the number 1 coach of MMA in France.
The man who also put the colossus from Cameroon with the three magic letters that changed his life.
For the occasion and a fight that fascinates America, Francis Ngannou, the former student of the MMA Factory in Paris, faces the number 1 in the category, the American Stipe Miocic.
Both men are mountains of muscle and power, two of the best fighters in the history of the hot sport.
And they know each other well since they have already faced each other.
It was in 2018 for a first attempt at a planetary belt for the Franco Cameroonian.
At the time, still a little tender only three years after his debut, Ngannou had suffered the law of the world number 1.
The 𝐁𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 is finally here! # UFC260: 🏆 @StipeMiocic vs 🇨🇲 @Francis_Ngannou pic.twitter.com/rsXozF5N4u
- UFC (@ufc) March 22, 2021
Since then, the forces have rebalanced.
“I think, I'm even ready to bet that Francis will win, continues Fernand Lopez.
He will KO Miocic before the end of the 5 rounds.
He is 10 kg heavier than Miocic (118 kg for the former Parisian, 108 for the American), perhaps now stronger and more powerful, even if Miocic remains a great reference.
Francis has progressed a lot since 2018 when already at the time, Stipe's room for improvement was thinner.
Since this defeat, the former homeless has shattered everything in its path.
𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒.
🏆 @StipeMiocic vs 🇨🇲 @Francis_Ngannou
[# UFC260 LIVE on #ESPNPlus PPV: https://t.co/4v1XFzm1lJ] pic.twitter.com/emRCvUKtKJ
- UFC (@ufc) March 25, 2021
Americans who adopted it do not call the phenomenon "The Predator" for nothing.
"I don't want to lose sight of what I still have to accomplish," he told us in 2020 in a voice as soft as his physique is imposing.
When I turn around, I see all the way crossed.
But I have as much left in front of me.
Here in the United States, they say the sky is the only limit.
This is the case for me… I don't just want to be a champion, I want to mark my history as a little migrant, the child of a small village in Cameroon.
"
⚡ @stipemiocic Vs @francis_ngannou, the long-awaited revenge for the heavyweight belt.
📺 A shock to follow in the night from Saturday to Sunday, from 1:45 am, live and exclusively on RMC Sport 2. # UFC260 #RMCUFC https://t.co/HgW9Eqb4Sy
- RMC Sport (@RMCsport) March 25, 2021
The Americans gave this fight a name: “The biggest and baddest rematch”.
“If Francis wins, he will be on top of the world, on top of the peaks, well seated on the throne of kings.
This will be the consecration of his formidable adventure.
In the United States, he is already a star.
In France, his fate fascinates.
If he is world champion, it will be necessary that in France, even if Francis is of Cameroonian origin and is proud of it, we realize how much our country brings to this sport.
"
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The next one who could go on to conquer the UFC world heavyweight belt is Ciryl Gane.
And he is French.
