Francis Ngannou News

Russell Ess - December 6, 2017

The last time we saw a UFC heavyweight title fight was back in May when champion Stipe Miocic successfully defended his belt against Junior dos Santos. In doing so, Miocic scored another first-round finish and avenged a 2014 decision loss to dos Santos. With Francis Ngannou’s insane highlight knockout over Alistair Overeem that took place over the weekend at UFC 218, the rising heavyweight knockout specialist has earned a shot against Miocic.

Tom Taylor - December 6, 2017

Francis Ngannou, a French-Cameroonian juggernaut with c-4 packed into each of his gloves, is now the top contender in the UFC heavyweight division. He is expected to take on the promotion’s heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic some time in the near future – perhaps as soon as UFC 220 this January in Boston. Whenever this massive heavyweight title fight occurs, Ngannou’s striking coach Dewey Cooper – a former boxer and kickboxer – assures his student will be ready.

Justin Golightly - December 6, 2017

We are all still catching our breath from UFC 218 as we land in the middle of yet another fight week. That Detroit card is one of those line-ups of fights where you lose your voice from screaming and your legs are sore the next day from jumping on and off the couch reacting to the action. Nothing can compare to the undisputed king of reactions, Joey Diaz though. On Sunday, Diaz took to Periscope to give his reaction to the fight and it didn’t disappoint. You may want to make sure there are no children in the room when you blast this spirited review. “The fights were tremendous last night. I just want to give my f-cking shout out to my man Mr. [Eddie] Alvarez. I didn’t think he could do it, but he f-cking did it. That Jason Strahan [Justin Gaethje] dude is the f-cking – what’s his name? Jason Gadahoop, whatever – He’s a f-cking savage with heart. [Alistair] Overeem? That Magoomba – whatever his name is – Ngaio? Let me tell you something, I don’t even want [Francis Ngannou] blowing out the candles at my birthday party. Next thing you know, the cake is all over the f-cking place, you follow me?”

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2017

Having knocked Alistair Overeem’s head into orbit in the co-main event of last Saturday’s stacked UFC 218 card, French-Cameroonian slugger Francis Ngannou is now the number one contender in the perilous UFC heavyweight division. He is expected to battle the division’s apex predator, Stipe Miocic, sometime in the next few months – perhaps even as soon as UFC 220, which goes down on January 20 in Boston. Whenever Ngannou’s fight with Miocic occurs, he’s confident that he’ll come out on top – and that the judges won’t be needed.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2017

Last Saturday night, in the co-main event of the action-packed UFC 218, surging French-Cameroonian heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou picked up the biggest win of his career thus far, punching Alistair Overeem’s head into stratosphere with a rocket-fuelled uppercut. With this absolutely destructive victory, the surging heavyweight juggernaut seems to have positioned himself for a fight with dominant UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Miocic, who is reported to have squashed his contract issues with the UFC, was evidently watching Ngannou’s fight with Overeem. And while Ngannou might just be the most fearsome challenger of his title reign thus far, he doesn’t seem too worried about it. At least, that’s the impression one of his recent Twitter posts gave.

Russell Ess - December 3, 2017

Francis Ngannou delivered one of the most memorable one punch knockouts last night at UFC 218 against the always dangerous Alistair Overeem. Despite sending Overeem to the canvas in a state of unconsciousness, Ngannou was not awarded with a “Performance of the Night” bonus. White announced two “Fight of the Night” bonuses that went to the amazing fights featuring Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje and Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira.

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

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.

Chris Taylor - December 2, 2017

UFC 218 Results: Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem A key heavyweight scrap between surging contender Francis Ngannou and former title challenger Alistair Overeem served as the co-main event of tonight’s UFC 218 fight card in Detroit.

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 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 17, 2017

If Fabricio Werdum’s turnaround from UFC 216 seems quick, that’s because it is, but Werdum knows what he’s doing. He’s been doing everything he can to get back the title that Stipe Miocic took from here and stacking together dominant performances in a short amount of time will only sway his chances. In an interview before his UFC Sydney fight, Werdum states that’s all he’s been waiting for and that surging contender Francis Ngannou just isn’t there yet. “I want to show inside the cage that I’m waiting for the title shot. This, I think is the best way. I put in my mind, I’m just waiting for the title shot. How long am I waiting? I don’t want to have to wait for too much. I wait for like six months and one year for a [second] fight with Stipe Miocic. My big goal is not Stipe Miocic. My big goal is the belt. I want the belt. That’s it. It doesn’t matter who is there. In my mind, I’m waiting, waiting, waiting for a long time for the fight. I’m waiting, waiting, waiting and maybe these guys don’t get an opportunity. I want to show I’m waiting for the fight, for the title shot again. I have two belts in my home. I want number three.”

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 - 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 7, 2017

On this week’s episode of the MMA Hour, surging French heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou asserted that, because no other heavyweight contenders are available for a fight, he deserves a crack at reigning heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. “After [Junior Dos Santos] was pulled from [our UFC 215 fight] all the top-10, almost all of the top-15 was booked,” Ngannou told host Ariel Helwani. “The only one available was [Alistair] Overeem. He said he’s injured […] and he took a little time for family.”