Francis Ngannou News

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2017

Last night, in the co-main event of the stacked UFC 218, surging French heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou picked up the best win of his career thus far, knocking out the always dangerous Alistair Overeem in the very first round. With this win, the streaking contender seems to have set himself up for a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Speaking to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter post-fight, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Ngannou will get the next shot at the belt, and suggested that the fight could headline UFC 220 this January 20 in Boston.

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2017

Last night, on the main card of the absolutely wild UFC 218, red hot heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou picked up the biggest win of his career, executing Alistair Overeem with a first-round uppercut. With this win, Ngannou seems to have positioned himself for a shot at Stipe Miocic and the UFC heavyweight title. In the opinion of UFC President Dana White, he’s also on the cusp of becoming an international rock star.

Chris Taylor - December 2, 2017

Alistair Overeem issues statement following brutal KO loss to Francis Ngannou. The former Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champion, Overeem, squared off with dangerous knockout artist Francis Ngannou in the co-main event of tonight’s UFC 218 fight card in Detroit, Michigan.

Chris Taylor - December 2, 2017

Former Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem took on surging division contender Francis Ngannou in the co-main event of tonight’s UFC 218 fight card in Detroit. As expected with two heavyweight knockout artists in the cage, the fight did not last long as “The Predator” was able to catch “The Demolition Man” with a crushing left hook that sent Overeem crashing to the canvas.

Justin Golightly - December 1, 2017

Tonight we have The Ultimate Fighter 26 finale, but tomorrow is UFC 218 which is stacked with ridiculous fights. Sandwiched between the main event between Max Holloway and Jose Aldo and the violent scrap of Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez, will be an slobberknocker between Alistair Overeem and Francis Ngannou. It will be a battle between a calculated veteran and a young, explosive contender. Absolute MMA legend Bas Rutten does an in-depth breakdown the heavyweight match-up. “We know [Francis Ngannou] can hit, but if you look at his record, yes, he’s 10-0, he’s never been finished, but in the UFC – and I’m not taking away from anybody, everybody in the UFC is good, but if you look at the records that they have, the guys he’s fighting, these are not guys that [Alistair] Overeem fought. Overeem fought literally the top guys on the planet in kickboxing and in mixed martial arts, so he fought the better competition. And that’s the only thing I’m concerned about. Trust me, Ngannou, when he connects, it could be over because we know that Overeem doesn’t have the strongest chin for heavyweight, and he’s got an incredible punching power. […] If Overeem goes back to the way he was fighting when he did really well, and that is keeping in mind that his chin is not the strongest and that means single shots, not single kicks, single shots, you have one hand at the defense at all times, then I think he might win this fight. But the killer is here, does he get hit? He only needs to get hit once against a guy like Ngannou because he’s got so much power.”

Justin Golightly - November 30, 2017

The hype surrounding heavyweight’s new beast Francis Ngannou couldn’t be greater. Dana White has labeled him the next big thing in MMA, literally and figuratively. Clearly, the UFC is putting a lot of stock in the young, surging contender. He pretty much as moved into the organization’s Performance Institute and was recently tested to prove he’s the hardest punching man on Earth, which resulted in Joe Rogan singing his praises on a recent podcast. If all that wasn’t enough, take the time to watch his UFC 219 open workout because it is downright hard to watch him inflict punishment on his head coach. It takes a brave man to hold pads for top UFC heavyweight contender @francis_ngannou 😵. Watch N’Gannou’s full #UFC218 Open Workout video: https://t.co/8SLUFNXY3x pic.twitter.com/ahgQoHl2gy

Justin Golightly - November 29, 2017

Francis Ngannou is just a couple of days away from fighting Alistair Overeem in the biggest fight of his career. It’s a story as old as the UFC itself: Two heavyweights, one a young lion trying to get to the top against a veteran who intends to keep his stop at the top. It just so happens that this fight takes place in the UFC’s largest division, where pretty much anyone can knock anyone else out. Especially when one of those guys is a K-1 champion and the other just set the record for the hardest punch. Joe Rogan marked out for the young Ngannou recently on his podcast. “He’s fighting this weekend and Francis Ngannou just broke the world record for the most power ever shown in a punch. They have this machine that they use worldwide. It’s widely accepted that it’s one of the best way to measure a punch. It’s this large pad and you hit it with full power and it generates it. Francis Ngannou beat the second place by some insane amount of power. He’s a ridiculously powerful dude. He scares the sh-t out of everybody. It shows what the original world record was, then Ngannou broke it by like 3000-pounds or some sh-t. He’s terrifying. You know they found this dude, he was a homeless guy. He was homeless living in France and he made his way into a gym. I believe he wanted to box and when they brought him in.”

Justin Golightly - November 25, 2017

We all knew Francis Ngannou hits hard, just ask the four opponents he’s stopped in the UFC with his thundering strikes. As if this needed anymore testing, the folks at UFC took Ngannou to undergo some sophisticated testing that looks like the kind of stuff Ivan Drago was doing in that Rocky IV movie. Remember when he punched those electronically-rigged pads and the numbers skyrocketed? Yeah, that happened in real life and it turns out that Ngannou supposedly the hardest-punching dude in the world, or at least the hardest so far to punch on this machine. I currently hold the world records of punching power #thepredator #UFC218 pic.twitter.com/eZ1WLGaylU

Justin Golightly - November 2, 2017

Back in the beginning of October, the UFC announced a partnership with a drink company co-founded by Kobe Bryant named BODYARMOR. The press release revealed just how involved they would be, especially inside the new UFC Performance Institute. Before the ink dried on the contract, we all knew this would eventually lead to sponsorships of UFC fighters. After the final UFC 217 presser today, BODYARMOR had their own time to officially present the new fighters signed on to team BODYARMOR. We’re at the launch of the first ever official UFC drinks partner @DrinkBODYARMOR. Recognize anyone up there on the stage? pic.twitter.com/BQ4B5AbLKo

Russell Ess - October 17, 2017

With Conor McGregor being the big draw in the UFC, many fighters are looking to follow his blueprint for success in being a killer on the mic and backing it up in the Octagon. However, not all fighters are programmed that way or may have a hard time connecting with an English speaking audience as fighters come from all over the world.

Justin Golightly - October 11, 2017

The hype train is no longer locked at the UFC station. Francis Ngannou has finally been booked to fight Alistair Overeem after pacing on the sidelines. Ngannou was supposed to fight Junior dos Santos at UFC 215, but after JDS got pulled Ngannou had to search for other options. He had his eye on both the UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem, but it looks like he’ll have to wait a little while longer for the title shot. Ngannou is confident though that he’ll get his shot, after he knocks out Overeem that is. “I was very frustrated because my last fight was in January. I hoped to fight in September, but they pulled my opponent out. It’s a good match-up, definitely. I knew that I would fight Alistair Overeem one day, so I’ve been ready for this fight since a long time ago. I think after this fight, there is no way to not give me [the] title shot. Overeem now is a bigger challenge than Junior dos Santos because he is on a good [run]. He’s doing a good job right now and he keeps winning.”

Justin Golightly - September 26, 2017

The fight triangle between the elite heavyweight beasts is still ongoing. Francis Ngannou was robbed of a giant clash with Junior dos Santos that assuredly would have propelled his career to the top if he managed to come out with a win against the former UFC heavyweight champ. Ever since then, he’s been very vocal about fights with both Alistair Overeem and belt holder Stipe Miocic. He’s up for either one still, but of course he’d rather fight the man with the strap. Not only does he like his chances to win, but Francis Ngannou thinks he could knock out Miocic. “I already know everything [Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem] are able to do. Everyone knows all of their skills. They don’t know mine. They’re still discovering mine. I’m bringing a surprise in every fight. I’ve never had the opportunity to show my whole game yet. I knock Stipe out when we fight. I think under three rounds, I knock him out.”

Tom Taylor - September 5, 2017

If things had gone according to plan, surging French-Congolese heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou would be battling Junior Dos Santos on the main card of UFC 215 this weekend. Regrettably, this bout – which would have been the biggest of Ngannou’s career so far– was scrapped when Dos Santos was notified of a potential United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) violation. On today’s special Tuesday edition of The MMA Hour, Ngannou weighed in on where Dos Santos’ withdrawal leaves him, and what might come next. Initially, as we know, he was hoping for a replacement opponent. Yet with most of the heavyweight division booked, and the only available opponent nursing an injury, he’s decided it’s time for a title shot. From there, he can take on the rest division as title challengers.

Justin Golightly - September 2, 2017

Francis Ngannou is a guy that no one seems to want to fight. He was supposed to fight Junior dos Santos at the upcoming UFC 215 card, but JDS was pulled due to an unfortunate potential anti-doping violation by USADA. Since then, he’s called out Alistair Overeem and even UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic himself. Neither accepted the fight. It looks like it was just bad timing though, because Overeem just announced at a recent Q & A that he’s down to fight Ngannou. Not only that, but they could square off in the Octagon at UFC 217 or UFC 219. https://twitter.com/francis_ngannou/status/901165201273126912

Justin Golightly - August 26, 2017

You have to feel for Francis Ngannou. He’s a young beast lighting up the heavyweight division, he just got the biggest opportunity of his life fighting Junior dos Santos, and it was all taken away from him through no fault of his own. He didn’t just sit around feeling bad for himself, he called out Alistair freakin’ Overeem. Unfortunately, even he wasn’t available to fight Ngannou. Looking around the top, there’s no one else. So, why not shoot for the stars? Francis Ngannou just called out the champ, Stipe Miocic. Alistair said his foot is still injured and can’t fight as soon ! so I don’t have a replacement for #UFC215

Justin Golightly - August 19, 2017

There were two new beasts rising up in the UFC’s heavyweight division and everyone wanted them to fight. That was, until Derrick Lewis lost to Mark Hunt and Francis Ngannou eradicated Andrei Arlovski in under two minutes. Such is the nature of the combat game, one of them is moving on while the other is stalled. Unfortunately for Ngannou, his next fight against Junior dos Santos at UFC 215 has been called off due to a potential violation of USADA‘s anti-doping regulations. He’s not moping around twiddling his huge thumbs though, he’s called out the one guy who is free that he believes a win over could get him a title shot: Alistair Overeem. @Alistairovereem been mentioning my name everywhere . I’m now open and free for you guy . Let do this at #ufc215🔥🔥🔥

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2017

Good lord. Check out the hand speed of UFC heavyweight @francis_ngannou. https://t.co/XSpeVToFzw pic.twitter.com/RAtFR8DMlp — Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 10, 2017

Tom Taylor - June 28, 2017

UFC 215 just grew by one massive heavyweight showdown. This tilt will see former heavyweight champion and recent title challenger Junior Dos Santos collide with surging French contender Francis Ngannou. This fight, which has been rumored for some time, was announced on the UFC’s official Facebook page. The UFC also announced a light heavyweight bout between long-time Swedish contender Ilir Latifi and Australian prospect Tyson Pedro.