3 UFC fighters who need documentaries made about their lives
The road to the UFC is often full of trials and tribulations. Many fighters are forced to battle through adversity, overcome poverty and suffer to get to the top. However, there are a few fighters who have been forced to overcome even more than the average UFC athlete.
The hugely successful Notorious, a documentary focused around Irish UFC superstar Conor McGregor, was released in 2017. It showed McGregor's rise from a young child who walked into a boxing gym one day, to the international superstar he is now.
However, McGregor is not the only fighter in the UFC with a unique story. There are several others and the following list details three fighters who should be at the top of Hollywood's next breakout sports documentary:
#3 Kamaru Usman
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is quite possibly the UFC's most dominant fighter right now. He remains undefeated within the organization and has defeated some of the greatest talents in his division, including Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns.
However, Usman has had to overcome great adversity outside of the octagon. He immigrated to America with his family at the age of eight, after struggling with conditions in Nigeria. His father was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in 2010, on multiple charges that Usman claims were incorrect.
Usman ventured into the sport of wrestling and began holding aspirations of competing in the Olympics. However, these dreams were dashed due to a series of injuries. This would lead Usman into the sport of MMA. Now, in 2021, Usman is a UFC champion and his father has been freed from prison.
#2 Khabib Nurmagomedov
The story of Khabib Nurmagomedov is well known for being one of the few fighters to have ended their career with a completely unblemished record. Nurmagomedov's legendary rivalry with the aforementioned Conor McGregor led to a record-breaking PPV event, where he would defeat the Irishman in front of millions.
The relationship Nurmagomedov had with integral figures of the MMA community is also something that would transfer incredibly well to the silver screen. Daniel Cormier, Islam Makhachev and of course his father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov were all integral pieces to his growth as a mixed martial artist.
#1 Francis Ngannou
Very few fighters have dealt with and overcome the kind of adversity that Francis Ngannou has. Ngannou worked in the sand mines of Cameroon as a young 12-year-old. He would later attempt to make the journey over to France, but was turned back by coastal authorities multiple times.
However, Ngannou's mental strength was evident even then, as he continued to struggle and eventually made his way to Paris. Ngannou was homeless and had very little money to his name, but was able to find a coach who gave him a chance.
From there, Ngannou's transition and rise to MMA is nothing short of astounding. He came to the UFC with an undefeated record and fought his way to the title shot against Miocic. However, he was soundly defeated by the Ohio native, which led to Ngannou changing his training regime and mentality. The Cameroonian put together another winning streak and finally won the UFC heavyweight belt in 2021 after defeating Miocic.