Francis Ngannou is a huge star in the world of combat sports.
This is not just for his exploits inside the cage, but also his story to become one of MMA's most feared heavyweights.
At the age of 26, Ngannou pursued his intial dream to become a boxer, but his journey was one full of roadblocks.
The Cameroonian found himself in a Spanish jail en-route to Paris after leaving his homeland, and once he arrived in the French capital, Ngannou was homeless for a period.
However, after joining the infamous MMA Factory, Ngannou thrived and quickly became one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts which included a rise to the top of the UFC's heavyweight division.
In October 2023, ahead of a move to PFL, he agreed to fight Tyson Fury, and lost by a controversial split decision despite having Fury on the canvas in the third round.
DAZN takes a look at what Ngannou has achieved during his career so far.
Francis Ngannou career fight results
| Fight result | Date |
| Tyson Fury def. Francis Ngannou by split decision | October 28, 2023 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision | January 23, 2022 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Stipe Miocic by second round KO/TKO | March 27, 2021 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Roenstruik by first round KO/TKO | May 9, 2020 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Junior Dos Santos by first round KO/TKO | June 29, 2019 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Cain Velasquez by first round KO/TKO | February 17, 2019 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Curtis Blaydes by KO/TKO | November 24, 2018 |
| Derrick Lewis def. Francis Ngannou by unanimous decision | July 8, 2018 |
| Stipe Miocic def. Francis Ngannou by unanimous decision | January 20, 2018 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Alistair Overeem by first round KO/TKO | December 2, 2017 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Andrei Arlovksi by first round KO/TKO | January 29, 2017 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Anthony Hamilton by first round submission | December 10, 2016 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Bojan Mihajlovic by first round KO/TKO | July 24, 2016 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Curtis Blaydes by second round TKO (Doctor's stoppage) | April 10, 2016 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Luis Henrique by second round KO/TKO | December 19, 2015 |
| Francis Ngannou def. William Baldutti by second round TKO | May 28, 2015 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Luc Ngeleka by first round submission | September 20, 2014 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Nicolas Specq by second round submission | April 5, 2014 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Bilal Tahtahi by first round KO | April 5, 2014 |
| Zoumana Cisse def. Francis Ngannou by unanimous decision | December 14, 2013 |
| Francis Ngannou def. Rachid Benzina by first round submission | November 30, 2013 |
Francis Ngannou record and bio
- Nationality: Cameroonian
- Date of birth: September 5, 1986
- Height: 6' 4"
- Reach: 83"
- Total MMA fights: 20
- Record: 17-3-0
- Total boxing fights: 1
- Record: 0-1
What titles has Francis Ngannou held?
Francis Ngannou's only major title success came in the UFC when he beat Stipe Miocic to become the UFC heavyweight champion on March 27, 2021 at UFC 260.
Ngannou went onto make one successful defence of the belt against Ciryl Gane 10 months later before leaving the UFC.
Notable career highlights
Francis Ngannou's hard-hitting UFC debut; December 19, 2015
It's safe to say that Francis Ngannou made an instant impact when he made his UFC debut.
Coming up against Luis Henrique in Orlando, Ngannou came straight out of the blocks landing a number of leg kicks before Henrique took the fight to the mat. The two then battled in the clinch for the rest of the opening round.
In the second round, Henrique closed the distance with Ngannou, but this move backfired after a number of Ngannou combinations landed successfully before a left uppercut knocked down Henrique and the fight was stopped after Ngannou landed a blow while his opponent was on the floor with the Cameroonian being declared the winner.
Francis Ngannou gets revenge over Stipe Miocic in championship fight; March 27, 2021
After failing to beat UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 220, Francis Ngannou was given the opportunity to get revenge over the American at UFC 260.
What transpired was a one-sided beatdown. Ngannou opened the fight with a leg kick and from then, the fight was going one way. Miocic managed to eat a ferocious right hand in the first, but this was about as positive as it got for the defending champion.
Come the second round, Miocic was dropped by Ngannou, and while the champion rose to his feet, he found himself back on the mat after a second Ngannou left hand and now there was a new champion in the UFC's heavyweight divison.