Francis Ngannou has looked back at his journey from humble beginnings to the present day, as he gets ready to face Tyson Fury on October 28th, 2023, for what will be the biggest payday of his career. 

Ngannou ultimately left the UFC after contract talks broke down with Dana White. The reason Ngannou gave for the exit was based on the lack of freedom he would have had, despite being offered a reported $8 million contract.

Thereafter, Ngannou signed a PFL deal, which gave him the right to box before his debut with the organization in 2024. Reports indicate that the Fury fight will earn Ngannou the highest purse of his career. This could be in the region of $10 million.

The life-changing sum has shown how far Ngannou has come from a poverty-stricken life in Cameroon. The MMA fighter reportedly worked in a sand quarry at the age of 10 due to the lack of money his family had at their disposal. 

So getting the chance to secure the lucrative fight was something that Ngannou had become grateful for. 

Ngannou’s Relief

"It [the money from the Fury bout] means a lot to me. It’s a lot to process, looking at where I started to where I am today. Where we are today in regards to my family too. It really does mean a lot to me and my biggest joy is to look at my family. I think about how we are secure, how we don’t have to worry at that terrible stuff anymore.

"We don’t have to worry about what to eat, we don’t have to worry about the clothes on our back, we don’t have to worry about the shoes on our feet. We don’t have to worry about if a family member gets sick [and paying for health care]. We have security now and that’s something we had been worried about our entire lives," Ngannou stated 

Ngannou-Fury Rematch

In addition, this could be the first of another fight with Fury. Reports stress there is a rematch clause, although the circumstances in which it can be invoked remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Fury has also indicated the possibility of fighting Ngannou in the cage. And that will once again earn Ngannou a big purse if terms can be agreed. 

Miocic Vs. Jones

Stipe Miocic has warned Jon Jones about his capabilities as they gear up to face each other on November 11th, 2023 at UFC 295. 

Jones will be making his first defense of the heavyweight title following his first-round-submission win over Ciryl Gane. And given that Jones had been out of the cage for three, his win was all the more impressive.

Meanwhile, Miocic will have another title shot after having lost to Francis Ngannou in his last fight. Although that may be the case, Miocic is considered one of the top names in the division.

And yet, the fighter has been out of the cage since 2021 with many feeling that the inactivity could harm him against a prime Jones. Despite that being the case, Miocic backed his speed and power to be telling factors when they face each other. 

"Throwing bombs, having fun, and doing what I do, bringing the fight. I think (Jones needs to worry about my) speed, my angles. I think punching power. I hit a lot harder than people think. And then I think I have great IQ. I always change it up, and when something happens, I figure a way out," Miocic

Miocic does have that in his locker. Prior to the Ngannou loss, which resulted in him being stopped in the second round, he did secure back-to-back wins over Daniel Cormier.

This included a stoppage win and one via a unanimous decision, showing that Miocic had what it took to mix up his game. And that is something he will need if he is to overcome Jones. 

Fury On Aspinall-Jones

Meanwhile, Tyson Fury has backed Tom Aspinall as the only MMA fighter out there to be able to beat Jones. Following Aspinall’s win over Marcin Tybura, where he stopped the latter in the first round at UFC fight night, the Brit called out Jones.

And Fury is well aware of Aspinall, having sparred with him. This was for his upcoming fight with Francis Ngannou on October 28th, 2023. The ‘Gypsy King’ has been impressed by Aspinall. He went on to state that the Brit could have even been a professional boxer.

The latter is currently ranked fourth in the heavyweight rankings, so moving forward, a fight could happen. And if it does, Fury has given him a good chance of coming out victorious. 

"It’s a tough one. Jon Jones is the Tyson Fury of boxing. People are unable to beat him. Very tough one. Even though Tom Aspinall’s a mate, Jon Jones is probably considered the greatest of all time in MMA, so I don’t know. It’s probably like, can anyone beat Wladimir Klitschko before Tyson Fury beat him? Probably not, but then Tyson Fury beat him. So if anyone can beat Jon Jones, it’ll be Tom Aspinall. Nobody else," Fury