Francis Ngannou supports his home country after their loss at the FIFA Worldcup finals
As the 2022 FIFA World Cup comes to an end, UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has congratulated the nation of France for making it all the way to the final, insisting they "will be back" after suffering a defeat to Argentina.
Throughout the entirety of the tournament, 'The Predator' was one of Cameroon's biggest supporters, cheering for his home country who were unfortunately eliminated in the group stage, despite scoring a win against Brazil. The UFC star has publicly shown his love for the sport of soccer throughout the years.
Posing alongside Kylian Mbappe, Francis Ngannou tweeted in support of his adopted country of France after they suffered heartbreak in the World Cup Final at the hands of Lionel Messi's Argentina:
"Congrats to France for the amazing run at the World Cup and a beautiful game today. They will be back."
🏿 #WorldCupFinal @KMbappe
Congrats to France for the amazing run at the World Cup and a beautiful game today. They will be back 👏🏿 #WorldCupFinal @KMbappe https://t.co/6wFrpxP3Wo
France, who are the previous holders of the competition, battled their way to the final. Their World Cup dreams came to an end during an agonizing penalty shootout against the South American nation.
Kylian Mbappe—who is pictured with Francis Ngannou above—was the star player for his country and did everything he could to defend the trophy for his national team. While he was unsuccessful in his attempt, he did earn golden boot honors..
Rumors are circulating that claims the UFC heavyweight champion could soon be scheduled to put his title on the line against Hall-of-Famer and former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. It would be the African's first bout since surgery.
Francis Ngannou's affiliation with France and MMA origins
Born and raised in Cameroon, Francis Ngannou began working as young as 10 years old. He earned his keep by grinding away in the sand quarry, before later taking up boxing.
After 26 years of ups and downs, the Cameroonian decided to fully commit to his passion for boxing and headed for France. He was aided by Francis Carmont and Fernand Lopez, who pushed him in the direction of MMA.
Just six fights into his career in mixed martial arts, Ngannou was picked up by the UFC. Up until his loss to Stipe Miocic in his first title fight at UFC 220, the knockout artist was undefeated in the promotion. He won six straight fights and earned knockout wins over legends like Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski.