Top UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has shared footage from his third pro fight, and it foreshadows the destructive force he’s become in the Octagon.
Ngannou shared the clip on his official Instagram account on Thursday. See it below.
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#throwbackthursday to my third MMA fight. Showing off Africa Power early on 💪🇨🇲
According to Tapology, Ngannou competed in his third pro fight in 2014, under the 100% Fight banner in France. His opponent on that fateful night was Nikolas Specq, who evidently had a bad night at the office.
Ngannou went on to win his next four fights, which earned him a UFC contract.
The Cameroonian-Frenchman made his UFC debut in 2015, defeating Luis Henrique via second round knockout. He then defeated Curtis Blaydes by doctor stoppage, knocked out Bojan Mihajlović, submitted Anthony Hamilton, and knocked out decorated former champions Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem en route to earning a shot at heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Ngannou lost his fight with Miocic by decision, and went on to lose his next fight, against Derrick Lewis, also by decision. These back-to-back losses caused worry that he might be a flash in the pan, but he promptly erased those suspicions in emphatic form, knocking out Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in his next four fights — which catches us up to the present.
Today, Francis Ngannou has irrefutably earned a crack at the UFC heavyweight title, but he’ll have to wait until Miocic and Daniel Cormier settle their score. In the meantime, he’s been jawing back and forth with UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who has welcomed a potential heavyweight superfight.
What do you think of this incredible 2014 win from Francis Ngannou?