Francis Ngannou recalls the time he was kicked out of the classroom because he didn't have a pen or a notebook
Francis Ngannou was recently crowned the new UFC heavyweight champion after defeating Stipe Miocic in the main event at UFC 260. Showing a more composed version of himself, Ngannou knocked Miocic out at 00:52 in the second round of the heavyweight headliner at UFC 260.
Francis Ngannou became the UFC heavyweight champion on Saturday, having risen from the sand mines of Cameroon. Known to be one of the scariest punchers in the world, Francis Ngannou recently shared deep insights about his poverty-stricken childhood.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani from ESPN, Ngannou revealed that he was not allowed to attend classes on many occasions as he didn't have a pen or a book. Talking about a few moments from his schooling years, Francis Ngannou told Helwani:
"I truly remember a lot about everything. I was 10 years old, you know, going to school, going to middle school. I remember all of it, all the frustration when I was in school. And then they had to take me out in the classroom because I didn’t have maybe just a pen to take notes, just a book. Sometimes I didn’t pay the school fees," said Ngannou.
"All that stuff, you know, over and over and over. And at some point, I would just get upset about it. I’m like okay, I gotta do this differently, I gotta prove this wrong. You know, it’s not my fault," added Ngannou.
Francis Ngannou took motivation from the hardships in his life
While Francis Ngannou might have grown up under extremely tough circumstances, he never let the hardships get in his way. While it might have been frustrating at times, these hardships only made 'The Predator' push himself harder.
"I remember after my parents get divorced, I was six and then I went to my aunt’s. Even before that, I used to remember many things. But from there on, I remember a lot, almost everything. That stuff would get me upset, but at the same time, they have been defining me, pushing me forward," said Ngannou.