After the bell to the final round tolls and they walk out of the cage for the last time, most fighters slip into coaching roles or test the unpredictable tides of business. But that’s not Francis Ngannou’s path. The former UFC heavyweight champion has carved a legendary name in combat sports—rising from humble beginnings to claiming UFC gold and going toe-to-toe with Tyson Fury. Yet, ‘The Predator’ isn’t content with personal glory. For Ngannou, true fulfillment lies in giving back. Now, he’s pouring heart and soul into a dream project in his homeland—building a legacy far beyond the cage.
Last month, Ngannou took to his Instagram handle to upload several pictures of himself inside an excavator moving earth. He captioned the post with a message that read, “My next project in Batie is a masterpiece and very personal, so I don’t just assign it to people. I follow it closely, to the point of becoming an excavator operator. Stay tuned for what’s coming out of the ground. A month later, Ngannou has shared an update about his dream project. The former UFC champ took to his Instagram handle to upload several pictures from ground zero, where we can see significant construction work taking place in the background.
Now the question arises: what is the combat sport star building? The former UFC champ has always been vocal about helping his community. Ngannou believes that the African continent has enough untapped talent for the combat sports world to capitalize on. ‘”As we have seen, there is a great wealth of talent in Africa just waiting to be given a global stage.” said Ngannou. So, does this mean that the fighter is building a state-of-the-art MMA launching pad for the young talents of Cameroon? Maybe, but we are not certain for now.
And this is not the only project he’s taken up in Batie. Back in 2020, he started the Francis Ngannou Foundation to uplift the region. As his first personal project, he mentioned his plans to build a house on his father’s resting land. “We’re in Batie, more precisely at our place, this is our land grant,” Ngannou said, “As this was my father’s land, the place where he was buried, this is where I’ve decided to build the house.”
He added, “It makes things easier when I come here, not having to look for a place to stay. This is it, a place I can call home, and a dream come true. When we were kids, our house was just down there, I remember we could see the sunrise and later we could see the sunset, so I decided to build my house up here to have an even better view over it.”
Well, this is not the first time that ‘The Predator’ has done charity. The fighter has been writing cheques for charity for a long time now. Back in 2018, he launched the Francis Nganou Foundation, which is dedicated to the upliftment of the underprivileged communities in the nation. Over time, Ngannou’s foundation has helped thousands of students by equipping them with high-quality school supplies, upgrading schools, and providing hygiene supplies. Ngannou even established Cameroon’s first MMA-certified gym.
That’s not all, during the peak Covid period, Francis Ngannou helped 1000 families. From his actions, it would not be wrong to state that the fighter is nothing but a big softie. So what’s next for Ngannou? Will he come back to the PFL ring, or will he embrace the boxing arena? Well, interestingly, a former Boxing champion has called out to him for a fight.
Deontay Wilder is ready to throw hands against Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou’s boxing career began when he faced former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury in an exhibition match. Despite it being his debut fight, Ngannou showcased why he is considered the hardest puncher in the history of the sport. While he did lose the fight, the statement was made. His second boxing endeavor, however, corrected that statement entirely. Anthony Joshua made short work of the ex-UFC champ with a knockout in the second round.
So, who’s next? Well, it seems to be none other than Deontay Wilder. Last year, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ addressed the media after suffering back-to-back losses against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. The former heavyweight champion emphasized that he would most likely fight Francis Ngannou rather than Anthony Joshua, “Ever since I’ve been off, there’s been a lot of offers coming in, a lot of different countries, even with Francis.”
He further added, “You’ve got a man who’s got two hands and two feet, and got a heart, that will to win. You’ve got competition, you’ve got a fight on your hands. So that’s why, when you get in the ring, you respect every man that steps in there because you never know what he may bring to the fight.”
Months have passed since that comment, but Ngannou has yet to comment on his comeback to the boxing ring, and Wilder is waiting for his next opponent. Will these heavyweights clash against each other in the future? And what is Ngannou building in his hometown? State your opinion in the comments below.
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