Francis Ngannou has watched his favorite film over 10 times, says "it was so motivating"
Francis Ngannou has said that he has watched the movie '300 Spartans' several times, as it motivates him to persevere through tough times.
During the UFC 260 Q&A session with Megan Olivi, Francis Ngannou was asked to share the name of his all-time favorite movie. NGannou told Olivi that the movie '300 Spartans' helped him stay motivated during his days in Morocco eight years ago when he was trying to go to Spain in search of a better life.
"As far as my favorite movie, I can't really tell but I remember, I don't know if I watched it because of the situation that I was in, but I watched 300 Spartans. I was in Morocco by the time, struggling to go to Spain. I watched that movie; it was so motivating and I loved it. I watched that movie like, over ten times," Francis NGannou said.
Born and raised in Cameroon, Francis NGannou endured a lot of struggles in life before becoming one of the best MMA fighters in the world.
Francis NGannou is preparing to attempt a second crack at the UFC heavyweight title held by Stipe Miocic. He will do so in the headliner of the UFC 260 pay-per-view event on March 27, 2021. The fight is a rematch of the pair's UFC 220 showdown in 2018, which Miocic won by unanimous decision.
NGannou has been on a tear since that loss, defeating formidable opponents like Curtis Blaydes, Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez and Jairzinho Rosenstruik to climb his way back to title contention.
Francis NGannou shares details of his life in Morocco
Before making Paris his home, Francis NGannou survived a 14-month travail through the continent of Africa in a bid to reach Europe.
While talking about that chapter of his life during his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, Francis NGannou detailed the horrific life he endured in Morocco. He also shared a near-death experience, which explains why he related the movie 300 Spartans to his own situation.
"In Morocco... that was a hell. Ah, unbelievable life. Even now, sometimes when I think about it, I was there. It's not like a story that somebody told me. I was there myself, I was going through all these things by myself. Sometimes I still can't believe it (was real)," Francis NGannou said.
The Cameroonian further continued in this regard:
"Morocco is a hell for immigrants... because it is a country closer to Europe... There's two small territories of Spain in the Morocco side... Those two are just protected by barbed wire... They almost took my stomach out. Cut me everywhere the first time I fell on it. I'm stuck there. But if I stay there, to expect a rescue, then the military would come and... they have even killed people just by beating them," Francis NGannou said.
"(I was in Morocco) for one year. Because every time you attempt (to cross over to Europe), you have to prepare to go attempt... If you fail, you get locked in, get beat up and they bring you back to the South and throw you in the desert... You have to walk the whole night to get somewhere... To get back to where you came from, it takes a lot of time and struggle," continued Francis NGannou