United States.- At 31 years old, Francis Ngannou is one step away from becoming the first African to reach the top of UFC, the most spectacular mixed martial arts company on the planet. The almost 120 kilogram, 1.96 meter tall man knocked out the Dutchman Alistair Overeem this weekend and achieved his sixth victory in an equal number of appearances. His opponent had threatened to win the battle in the second round, but the Cameroonian had said "you will have to survive the first round" in order to do so.
He was 22 years old and for 10 years his life consisted of breaking rocks to open paths in the hills of his village. "I refused to believe that was the best for me. I knew there was something more," he said in The Players Tribune. Also, he had dropped out of school due to economic problems and had to work in order to eat.
Ngannou was born in the village of Batié, Cameroon. In a country where primary education was not free until 2000. Ngannou lived in poverty and had little formal education. He did several odd jobs to make ends meet until, as an adult, he emigrated to Paris to pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer.
Upon arriving there, he had no money, no friends, and no place to live. After living on the streets of Paris, he started training for free at an MMA gym in 2013. Being a fan of Mike Tyson, he was originally interested in the world of boxing until his coach introduced him to the world of mixed martial arts.
In 2007, the story of 300 Spartans who stood against the world's most powerful armies impacted the global film industry with an inspirational message that touched Ngannou's heart: "Nothing would be the same for me after that."
He got a night job as a security guard at a nightclub that only required him to have a well-built torso. As the days went by, he struck up a friendship with the owner of a gym who allowed him to train for free. There, he started practicing boxing by imitating the movements of his idol, Mike Tyson.
Ferdinan, the gym owner, gave him the advice he needed: the money wasn't in boxing, but in mixed martial arts. So he started fighting until December 2015 when he made his debut in the UFC, defeating the Brazilian Luis Henrique in Orlando, Florida, United States.
Since then, he has only accumulated victories and now he is going for the heavyweight title. The owner of UFC defined him as a "rock star", but he prefers to be a big screen character for a more defined audience: "I want to be the movie that inspires my family."
With information from infobae