He is a monster in the ring who many dread to face because of his hard punches, strong kicks, and quick movements. Cameroonian fighter Francis Ngannou is one of the toughest professional athletes in the world of fighting.
In Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), his record of 17 wins with a majority of knockouts to his opponents is nearly unrivaled. But still, a few fighters managed to floor the legendary fighter and deliver rare wins against the African predator.
We present to you a list of the three fighters who have managed to beat Francis Ngannou in his rare defeats as the world waits for his high-stakes clash with boxing champion Tyson Fury on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.
Who is this man Ngannou?
Ngannou was born and raised in the West African country of Cameroon. He was born into a poor family and spent his childhood mining sand at a quarry.
Despite the hardship at his younger age, he had an interest in boxing. The hard-punch hitter knew his destiny was in fighting and opted to follow the footsteps of his father who was a street fighter. It is this background that motivated him to enter into the world of boxing and he began to train extensively.
At the age of 26, the fighting icon migrated to Paris to begin training as a boxer. This was the turning point for the legendary fighter that would make him a force to reckon with in Europe and America.
Although his original interest was in boxing, tables turned following an intervention from his coach and Ngannou opted to build a professional profile in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Before he shifted his attention to UFC, a sport that dominates the American and African continents, he floored several opponents and only registered a single loss. His record at the UFC is exemplary and boasts of 17 wins and only two losses. According to ESPN, The PFL, a rival to UFC is planning to sign Ngannou.
List of fighters who have defeated Francis Ngannou
Derrick Lewis
UFC fighter Dennis Lewis/Courtesy
His fight with the African predator was one of the major upsets in the UFC’s history. Derric Lewis, an American mized martial artists is one of the few fighters who have managed to beat Cameroonian fighter Francis Ngannou.
Just like Ngannou, his fighting record is impressive and currently holds the record of the most knockouts in UFC history. In his 2018, faceoff with Ngannou, nearly all statistics favored the African giant Ngannou. On paper, it was near-impossible that he would pull a win inside T-Mobile Arena.
In the fight, Lewis defeated Ngannou through a decision by judges. The judges awarded the scores as 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28, despite landing only 20 total strikes, according to Fightmetric. Ngannou landed a total of 11. The fight was the second fight the African giant lost in a row.
Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic. He is one of the few fighters who have defeated Francis Ngannou/Courtesy
The American fighter became one of the few athletes to hand the Cameroonian fighter Ngannou a rare defeat. The loss to Miocic handed Ngannou two back-to-back losses between 2017 and 2018.
The surprise loss ended a streak of six consecutive wins for Ngannou including four knockouts of his opponents. In an electric fight that took Boston’s TD Garden arena by storm, Miocic wrestled the African giant from the start of the bout to the end.
In a unanimous decision, the judges voted (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) in favor of Miocic. In 2021, however, Ngannou got his revenge in a rematch and floored Miocic.
Zoumana Cisse
Zoumana Cisse/Courtesy
In his early days in professional wrestling, Francis Ngannou was handed one of the rarest losses in his fighting career. The loss came following a professional fight in 2013 against Zoumana Cisse, another professional fighter with an impeccable record of only one loss.
Perhaps he was one of the only few fighters to survive Ngannou’s deadly punch that has floored opponents, sometimes in a single round and a single punch.
Just like other defeats, Ngannou lost to Cisse through a unanimous decision. According to ESPN, Ngannou has had a tremendous record in the ring and the octagon.
Ngannou’s next fight
Francis Ngannou/Courtesy
On October 28, all eyes will be on Saudi Arabia as the African predator takes on the Gypsy King in a highly publicized bout. The clash between Ngannou and Tyson Fury is a must-watch and probably the climax of modern-day boxing.
While Ngannou will be making his professional debut in wrestling, his opponent Fury is a mainstay in boxing boasting several titles to his name. You cannot miss this epic encounter between two titans.