Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, will fight WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on Saturday, October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For those unfamiliar with MMA, here is Ngannou's background: Ngannou, age 36, and 17-3 in MMA, has a life-story that most wouldn’t believe possible. The 6’4, 280-pound physical specimen, hailing from Batie, a small village in Cameroon, Africa, grew up working in a sand quarry starting from the age of 10. At 22 years old, harboring a dream to box, Francis decided to leave on foot across the Sahara, traveling on raft across the Strait of Gibraltar on a life-threatening journey, only to find himself homeless on the streets of Paris, walking into a gym. It didn’t take long for his coaches and peers there to realize his raw talents and God-given power to knock people out.
He was encouraged to enter an MMA tournament to make some extra cash in November 2013, and less than 8 years later, Francis would become the UFC’s first-ever African heavyweight champion, knocking out arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC History, Stipe Miocic, spectacularly in the second round. In January 2022, Ngannou defended his title against the undefeated interim UFC Champion Ciryl Gane, winning the fight via unanimous decision, all while fighting on a torn ACL and MCL against doctors’ guidance.
In late 2022, Ngannou decided to enter free agency and departed the UFC following the end of his contract, subsequently signing an unprecedented mega-deal as a global strategic partner with global MMA co-leader Professional Fighters League (PFL) and their Super Fights Division in 2023, further serving as the Chairman of PFL Africa, set to launch in 2025.
About Riyadh Season:
Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment event every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and other unique cultural events. In 2023, Riyadh Season will commence on Saturday, 28 October with a spectacular opening ceremony and an historic boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.
