1. Francis Zavier Ngannou was born on 5 September 1986 and is a Cameroonian and French professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League, where he is the inaugural PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Champion.
Francis Ngannou previously competed in the heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 2015 to 2022, where he was the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion at the time of his departure from the promotion.
Francis Ngannou is considered the lineal heavyweight champion in mixed martial arts.
Francis Ngannou was born and raised in the village of Batie, Cameroon.
Francis Ngannou lived in poverty and had little formal education growing up.
Francis Ngannou's parents divorced when he was six years old, and he was sent to live with his aunt.
At 10 years old, Francis Ngannou started working in a sand quarry in Batie because of a lack of funds.
However, Francis Ngannou refused and instead decided to use his father's negative reputation as a street fighter as motivation to do something positive and pursue boxing.
At age 22, Francis Ngannou began training in boxing, despite the initial reluctance of his family.
Francis Ngannou did various odd jobs to make ends meet, until age 26 when he decided to head to Paris, France, to pursue professional boxing.
Additionally, Francis Ngannou became a volunteer at Lo Chorba, a non-profit organization in Paris.
Francis Ngannou made his UFC debut against fellow newcomer Luis Henrique on 19 December 2015, at UFC on Fox 17.
Francis Ngannou won the fight via knockout in the second round.
Francis Ngannou next faced UFC newcomer Curtis Blaydes on 10 April 2016, at UFC Fight Night 86.
Francis Ngannou won the fight via TKO, due to doctor stoppage at the end of the second round.
Francis Ngannou won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Francis Ngannou then faced Anthony Hamilton on 9 December 2016, at UFC Fight Night 102.
Francis Ngannou won the fight by submission in the first round, and earned his first UFC Performance of the Night bonus.
Francis Ngannou faced Andrei Arlovski on 28 January 2017, at UFC on Fox 23.
Francis Ngannou won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Francis Ngannou was expected to face Junior dos Santos on 9 September 2017, at UFC 215.
In turn, Francis Ngannou was removed from the card after promotion officials deemed that a suitable opponent could not be arranged.
Francis Ngannou won the fight via knockout in the first round.
Francis Ngannou faced Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on 20 January 2018, at UFC 220.
Francis Ngannou faced Derrick Lewis on 7 July 2018, at UFC 226.
Francis Ngannou faced Curtis Blaydes in a rematch on 24 November 2018, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 141 He won the fight via TKO early into the first round.
Francis Ngannou headlined the UFC's inaugural event on ESPN, UFC on ESPN 1 against Cain Velasquez on 17 February 2019.
Francis Ngannou faced Junior dos Santos on 29 June 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3.
Francis Ngannou won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
Francis Ngannou was scheduled to face Jairzinho Rozenstruik on 28 March 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Francis Ngannou vs Rozenstruik.
Francis Ngannou won via knockout just 20 seconds into the first round.
Francis Ngannou faced the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane for his first title defense on 22 January 2022, at UFC 270.
Francis Ngannou injured knee ligaments three and a half weeks before the fight.
Francis Ngannou won the fight by unanimous decision, the first decision win of his career.
On 16 May 2023, it was announced that Francis Ngannou had signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League.
Francis Ngannou will be competing in their pay-per-view "super fight" division, while still being free to compete in other sports such as boxing.
Francis Ngannou negotiated on behalf of his opponents, guaranteeing them to be paid at least $2 million.
Francis Ngannou will be a part of PFL's global advisory board, meant to advocate for fighters' interests, and an equity owner and chairman of the upcoming PFL Africa league.
On 22 February 2024, it was announced that Francis Ngannou would make his MMA return against the winner of Renan Ferreira vs Ryan Bader heavyweight bout at PFL vs Bellator on 24 February 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Francis Ngannou faced 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion and PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions title holder Renan Ferreira for the PFL Heavyweight Superfight Championship on 19 October 2024 at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants.
Francis Ngannou won the fight by knockout via ground punches in the first round.
Francis Ngannou took on the undefeated WBC and Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a professional boxing match billed as "Battle of the Baddest" on 28 October 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Francis Ngannou was able to knock down Fury in the third round, taking the fight all the way to the scorecards, in which the judges awarded Fury the victory in a controversial split decision.
Francis Ngannou faced Anthony Joshua on 8 March 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and lost by second-round knockout.