Francis Ngannou traces his path from a Cameroonian sand mine to UFC heavyweight champion, detailing his perilous illegal migration across the Sahara and six failed Mediterranean crossings. He reflects on his Tyson Fury boxing dream, analyzes his loss to Anthony Joshua as a timing error, and critiques political scapegoating of millions of African migrants. Comparing his relentless work ethic to Cristiano Ronaldo's, Ngannou dismisses ring death fears due to strict regulations while estimating a punch could hospitalize an untrained person like Piers Morgan. Ultimately, he urges young men to ignore negativity, accept failure, and focus on the journey rather than just the destination. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
|
Time
Text
Giving Everything to Become Champion00:12:18
You know Francis, you seem such a nice guy and then I'm reminded that you were recorded with the heaviest punching power in the history of UFC.
What I have did is not very special because thousands of Africans or millions are doing that, have done that, are doing it and will keep doing.
Excuse me, Piers, but I think you are making a little mistake there.
Listen, Francis, I'm not going to argue with you.
You're way too big for that.
And when you took on Tyson Fury, to me, you won that fight.
Is that a rumor?
Yes.
Well, then, let the rumor be the rumor.
Your next fight was, of course, Anthony Joshua, which didn't go as well for you.
That fight wasn't a good fight.
That fight, the whole experience wasn't good.
A lot of things were off on that fight.
And have you ever worried about killing someone?
How long would it take you to kill me in the ring?
Do you think Francis Ngani's journey to the UFC Octagon took him across deserts, oceans, and borders.
At the age of 10, he worked in a sand mine in Cameroon.
By 26, he was jailed in Spain for entering the country illegally.
By 2021, he was the UFC heavyweight champion.
Now, his incomparable journey has at last brought him to the dizzying heights of appearing on Uncensored.
Francis, great to see you.
Good to see you, Piers.
How are you?
Do you know?
I was reading about your life today and I came across about four paragraphs which told me exactly what you did from the moment you dreamt of being a world champion like Mike Tyson, who I've interviewed many times, to actually becoming a world champion.
And it told me this, and I want to read it because people who don't know your story really need to know it.
It said, Inganu left Cameroon with a dream of being a world champion in boxing, inspired by seeing Mike Tyson.
In his mid-20s, he saw a life in France.
He traveled through Nigeria, Niger, and Algeria on foot and by securing lifts.
Then he crossed the Sahara desert in the back of a truck and found his way to Morocco.
He climbed barbed wire fences at borders and attempted to cross the Mediterranean in a dinghy six times, even though he'd never learned to swim.
He steered clear of Moroccan border forces by sleeping in the forests.
And when he eventually entered Spain after a more successful dinghy journey, he was detained for two months as an illegal immigrant.
Once afforded refugee status, he went to Paris, living on the streets and sleeping in car parks at night before finding a mixed martial arts gym.
And from there to 2021 was the journey from that gym to becoming the UFC heavyweight champion.
And I've got to say, Francis, I've interviewed a lot of sportsmen, a lot of people in my time.
I have never seen a story quite like yours.
When you hear that again, reminding you of what you did to get to where you got to, what do you feel about it?
You know, in some way, for me, every step of it was just like normal, you know, even though it was challenging, but it was like a normal person, like everyone having a challenge, you know.
And then at the end of the day, when they pile it up and then telling it as a story, then you're like, oh, damn, you know.
But it was just a life, a life story that you go over challenges, chase your dream.
I mean, yeah.
And then you get there and then you're still going.
You still have chat.
I still have a challenge even now.
And I still keep going.
I still have a destination somewhere to go to get, you know, in the US.
Yeah, well, once you become a world champion, what's the next challenge?
I mean, your dream was to be like Mike Tyson, to be a world heavyweight boxing champion, presumably, originally.
But what's the dream now you achieved greatness in the octagon?
You know, I think as long as a dream, dream never stop, a dreamer always keeps dreaming.
Doesn't matter what you dream about.
You need something because that's like a fuel for your life.
That's like the essence of your life.
You know, the exact same moment that I became a world champion, I was in the middle of the octagon, haven't even celebrated yet.
And it just hit my mind.
I was like, okay, then what?
Like, what next?
So this is it.
You know, and I couldn't just stop there.
I was, what, 30, 34 years old.
I have a lot of time in front of ahead of me that I can chase greatness to accomplish better stuff, you know, in life.
And a lot of people have been champion, world champion before you.
And a lot of people are still going to be champions after you.
But how are you making your championship different?
How best can you utilize that?
And how far can you go?
I think it's more about that.
And also, the fact of being a champion for me is not just like having a title, you know, like, oh, I have a belt or I have a title.
I'm a world champion.
And that's it.
I think a champion is a lifestyle, you know, is a mindset, a dedication, a purpose that something that gets you up every day.
Keep going, pushing to yourself, you know, overcoming your obstacle, your challenges.
That's what makes you champion.
And the day that you lost all those elements, you are no longer a champion.
Do you know who you sound like?
Yes, it's good.
Do you know who you sound like?
It's good that you get there, you are a champion, but you have to be champion in the rest of your life by showing example, maybe for the youngest one or for your own kids, a better way to educate them.
You know, I would like my kid to take example, like for keep going no matter what.
Don't set a limit for itself.
Like, okay, I have done this.
That's it.
No, you keep going.
You remind me of somebody who I know you met in Saudi Arabia.
He's a good friend of mine, Cristiano Ronaldo.
And I saw the picture of you both together and I sent him a message saying, is this guy as nice as he seems?
And he's just a great guy about you.
But Cristiano's mindset is exactly the same as yours.
And I think it's why you guys get to be the best of the best, because he came from nothing.
He had to really, I mean, not as tough a journey as you had, but certainly pretty tough.
And he is a self-motivator, like I've never seen.
He just wants more and more and more and more.
And always to be the absolute best and always to be a great role model.
And you sound to me the same mentality.
And that's what a lot of people don't know about Cristiano, actually.
Myself included, even just before I met him, like back in early last year.
I mean, I know that, okay, Cristiano is the best player.
He's talented.
He's this, he's that.
But I didn't know the man behind the athletes, you know.
Then I got a chance to meet him and then we chat for like 30, 40 minutes next to the swimming, next to the pool.
And then he was so, you know, like maybe some stuff that you're thinking, you are not sure it's hard.
You're struggling with it, you know.
And then you find out that he's exactly what he's doing or what he's been doing.
You know, that also like motivated you down.
I'm like, okay, so I'm doing something.
I must be on the right path, you know.
So yes, you're quite right.
And like, look, look at him.
Like, how many players at this moment in their life are so dedicated as he is?
None.
You know, no, I've never seen it.
And there's nothing that is, there's nothing that he's chasing now.
I think he has everything from the sport, but it's just like about like the mindset, the lifestyle that we were talking about earlier.
It's about like dedication, hard work every day, regardless of what you're doing, of where you where you are, or if you have a goal or not, you know, if you have a title to attempt to or not, you keep doing it.
You know, Francis, you seem such a nice guy, and you're very like polite and respectful, and you talk gently.
And then I'm reminded that you were recorded with the heaviest punching power in the history of UFC, a punch equivalent to 96 horsepower, which is the same as being hit by a Ford escort going as fast as it can travel.
Yeah, that's what they said.
That's a hell of a punch, Francis.
That's what they said.
But listen, that doesn't, I think that does mean so that doesn't mean too much.
It's only about like, you know, what I do is my profession.
And after that, I have my life and you don't have to do your job everywhere.
And I assume you've done that as well.
Like, I see you on your social, very family type.
You don't always interview people, right?
So I don't always hate.
I give my kids quite tough interviews, actually.
Yeah.
Yeah, I see you having a lot of great time, dinner, like some steaks.
A lot of competitive sport, actually, especially with my sons.
Yes.
Yeah, I think it's important to be competitive.
I really.
I just think life is, you know, I never understand people who are not competitive.
I don't understand why you'd ever want to play a sport if you didn't want to win.
What's the point?
No, there's not a point.
I mean, and you might not win, but as long as you have that willing, as long as you do everything that it takes to win, and even if the result doesn't come your way, it's okay.
And I think that have always been my drive from the beginning.
You know, I come from Cameroon, a small country, a small village that nobody knows about boxing.
Nobody knows about sport.
But I'm like, I want to do it.
I'm like, what the hell is that?
Like, are you losing your mind?
You know, and no, like they were pessimists, but they were realists, you know.
And I was just a dreamer.
I just wanted that thing that I dream of.
And then I also, at some point, I have to recall myself.
Like, they are not wrong, right?
But doesn't matter.
I have to at least try, give it a shot.
If it doesn't work, at least I will tell myself that I have tried, you know, and try and give everything.
So here, he has always been about like trying and give everything.
I didn't know that I can do, I could actually do it.
I didn't know that I could become a world champion after never been in the gym, after never seen a gym before I was 22 years old.
Like the first time I saw a gym, I was 22 years old.
And I stood out there, like want to become a world champion.
You know, it takes a lot of guts to believe that.
And then you have to overcome that.
You have to find a reason to motivate yourself, to drive yourself.
Like, okay, this might not work.
You have to be realistic.
This might not work, but at least I'm going to give it a shot.
At least I'm going to give my everything.
So it's always about my everything.
Do you go back to Bati where you came from in Cameroon?
The Power of Family and Home00:04:34
You return there?
Mostly.
A lot of time.
I spent a lot of time in Bati.
I go in Cameroon like at least four times a year.
I spend at least four to five months in Cameroon every year.
And as soon as I can, I go back to Batier because that's like it's very peaceful now.
It's like relaxing.
My house there is like vacation house.
Things that are cool.
It's on the mountain, like I think 3,000 feet high with like green trees, grass, everything.
Beautiful country, beautiful village.
So you were known, Francis.
Well, you're known in the ring as the predator for the way you devour your prey.
What do they call you back home?
Are you the king?
Are you the emperor?
Do you have a throne?
Do you have a palace?
What's the deal given the glory you brought on Bati?
I'm just Francis as I used to be.
I mean, most of people there know me since I was a kid.
I know some of the people, some kids there since they were kids, since they were born, you know, and a lot of people there know me since I was born.
So, I mean, yes, it's good what you're doing, but we are just out there hanging out.
And it's kind of like a big family, you know.
And your mother has obviously been a massively important person in your life.
She raised you.
What does she make of the success you've made of yourself?
Well, you know, in Africa, we are not very express, we don't express emotion a lot, basically not verbally.
So, I mean, we don't talk about that a lot, but I'm sure she's happy.
I mean, she has seen the change.
We all have witnessed the change in our lives.
So, yeah, I'm sure she's happy.
I mean, she has five kids that today are all doing good, are all safe, secure.
She doesn't worry about anything about any of them.
She doesn't worry about how they're going to end up anymore.
I think it's just a time for her to enjoy being a grandma and have after raising her kids, having a good time with her grandkids.
What's been the best thing that you've been able to do for your mother?
Well, I think it's a combination of things.
It's not like one specific things that you do and then, oh, I make her proud and that's it, you know.
I think it's a combination of things.
I think, like, first of all, for a mother, like basically, like a single mother raising boys, they really get worried on how they're gonna end up, how they're gonna go out there and who are gonna influence them, you know, those type of things.
And then, when you finally don't end up bad, I think she has some proud in it, you know.
And then you get a job, you set yourself to be a respectful, respected person in the society.
That make her happy, which I think all of us, we are doing and then uh, maybe you, you bring some, some little glories to her, like some success uh, some lifestyle.
Um, you know, struggle that things that used to be struggle uh for her, that she used to be worried about, she's no longer worried about it.
Like house she she chose her house she.
She has her car with the driver.
I mean, she doesn't need to work anymore uh, to do anything uh besides spending time with her grandkids, because she has a lot.
My sister, my little sister, has a lot of kids.
She's popping kids out.
So yes, my grandma spent a lot of time with them.
When you look at um Francis, your story and how determined you were to get to where you wanted to get to and the journey you took through all these countries as a migrant, you know, moving across first Africa, then into Morocco Spain, France and so on.
Why Migrants Stay in Africa00:04:27
When you look at um the whole debate globally about migrants and particularly people, you know there's a big debate here in the Uk about people coming in on dinghies, exactly the way that you ended up doing.
Uh, they get demonized by some people um, and there's a lot of debate about what's the best way to handle the issue of people coming over on dinghies as you know, similar issues in America with their southern border and uh, people coming in, perhaps not the documented way, not the legal way.
What do you think of this debate?
What's the what's the answer?
You know uh, first of all like uh, what I have did is not very special because uh, thousands of African or millions uh are doing that, have done that, are doing it and will keep doing.
Uh, we're still doing, maybe less in the future.
Um, but when I basically, I mean, I myself was a victim when I get here, I was just one migrant among among other migrants, you know and um, all those uh um talk about migrant, the way that they talk about you look at you, look down at you, like you're just a bad person, you're just coming maybe to take something, to steal something from them.
You know it's kind of like hurt, hurt you a little bit, but motivate you and you really like, okay, I think you're completely wrong.
I want to prove, but you don't, you have no voice.
You know you're not speaking to anybody uh, all the media and all the um organization.
They are blasting about you, about you guys.
Like politics, you stand uh and then politics will.
Most of the time, politics will use that.
You will use that as a um reason why they are, they are not governing well, like why they are not doing things right, like right.
Like migrants are responsible of that, of their misgoverned governed so.
But I think those staff are about to change.
I think in the future, less and less people gonna migrate in in Europe because African now has emancipated theirself.
They understand a lot of things and they don't, they don't longer have the need to to migrate, to go other places as they realize how the country, the continent, is rich, is wealthy, and they want to just like stay there and build.
You know, it's something that is quite uh, quite interesting to see the shift, you know the shift of the mindset, people that was back before, everybody want to come to Europe or to the West Country and now a lot of people I'm like you know what, I'm good here, I'm gonna start my business here.
Everything here.
I mean we have a raw continent, we have a rich and raw continent that everything is to be done and guess what they need people to do it.
And we've been educated that everything is happening in Europe, which is not true, you know.
It's just like a mindset, that education that they give us or like, but it's changing.
People are becoming more awareness, aware of the situation and staying home and work.
And let me tell you what Piers, like when I look even at myself, I go in Africa.
I spend a lot of time in Africa and one of the reasons like, I'm setting an operation there, a system for me to return because, like after traveling around the world, let me tell you the truth, the best place for me to be at, the best place if I have to choose, is Africa.
Right, everything is there.
And even if I have to start business and I'm talking from a position, from my position that I really don't need a job, I really not like okay, need something to eat now, but I return in Africa, I want to set a business.
I return in Africa, set my business, because everything there is open, the field there is open.
When you come here, everything is saturated.
You get, get um, you have to get settled of what the left, what's the left over.
Fighting for an Open Field00:13:29
You know, back there, you can't.
You can take over.
You don't need to to get the leftover, but you can take over and that's what a lot, a lot of Africans are doing now.
That's a great, it's a great thing to hear, because it's such an amazing continent in so many ways, and it's great to hear.
Yes, it's amazing, and we have.
We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of worker.
You go in the UK, in every sector, you will see some person that is outstanding.
That is from Africa, from Nigeria, from Cameroon, from Ghana, from West Africa, wherever you name it.
You will find them in different fields around here, and I think it's about time that we use those skills and those talent to build our own continent and not need And not need people.
I mean, in fact, we don't even need people.
Right.
We are self-sufficient.
We are self-sufficient.
The only thing that is missing is to acknowledge that.
As long as we acknowledge our strength, we are good.
Let me talk to you about your specific skill set, which is fighting.
You made a very interesting transition to boxing where the fight against Tyson Fury was unbelievable.
Excuse me, Pius, but I think you are making a little bit of a little mistake there because you say my skill set, my specific skill set.
I'm if the business of fighting.
So basically, I'm a businessman.
Got it.
Important correction.
Okay, let me rephrase that.
Let's talk about your multi-skill set of not just fighting, but as a businessman in the fight game.
How does that sound?
Yeah, that sounds okay.
That sounds good.
Listen, Francis, I'm not going to argue with you.
You're way too big for that.
But I'm not going to treat you like a politician.
But let me ask you about the fight.
Because I'd watched you in UFC and you were unbelievable, just an incredible tour de force.
And when you took on Tyson Fury, I thought, well, this could be really interesting because you've obviously got this incredible punching power.
And I watched that fight.
To me, you won that fight.
Tyson's a good friend of mine, but I posted on X at the time.
I think Francis and Ghani won that fight.
Did you think you won that fight?
Yeah, I think I won that fight, but I won more than a fight.
For me, he was a dream.
For me, I was living a dream.
It's something that I have been chasing for years.
I have been dreaming of for years to box at that level.
And then I get to that specific moment.
And then they put the men show, and I was the man in the show.
So he was a big win overall.
A huge one.
Despite the result, I mean, I was expecting it to go that way.
You know, I wasn't really expecting that I will go there and then win Tyson.
They'll just give me a decision over Tyson Fury or over any type of a boxer, just like that.
You know, I knew that I was an outsider, but I was just there to make my point and live my dream.
But I'd been in Las Vegas to watch the Floyd Mayweather Conor McGregor fight live with my sons, actually.
And he got very easily outboxed by Mayweather.
And that's why your fight with Tyson Fury was so fascinating because Tyson Fury is one of the all-time great heavyweights.
And you were pound to pound with him the entire fight and to me edged it.
I mean, people can argue about that as much as they want, but certainly you didn't lose that fight.
How satisfying was it for you to have crossed over into boxing to take on one of the greats and to emerge so strongly from that?
He was very satisfying, you know, because like once again, I have to get people wrong.
You know, I have to shut them up.
Yeah.
He was very satisfied.
I mean, in addition to living my dream, and let me tell you what, that fight was in Riyadh and then they put on a great show, the biggest show that I've ever been to, that I have ever seen.
And then the scene was ours.
You know, they built this gigantic arena from scratch in three months just for that fight.
And then we get there, like the ring was coming from the ground, you know, like in the movie type of thing.
Everything.
Like we have to do the rehearsal for the rehearsal for The workout the day before, before come the fight day.
Like, that's how they should.
That's how big the show was.
They're going to tell you, like, from here, you're going to have the light on your face.
It's going to happen.
You're going to turn left.
And this, what the flag is going to be here.
So it was crazy.
Well, it's interesting what the Saudis are doing, isn't it?
With fighting, because I went to the Terrence Jackson fight in Los Angeles, and Eminem did the half-time show there, which was absolutely extraordinary.
You know, he did a whole half-hour set.
And it made me realize that what the Saudis are doing, I think, very successfully, they're bringing entertainment and sport together in a way that we've seen in certain sports, but certainly not in things like fighting, for example.
So it's an interesting new way to do it.
Yeah, that was a very interesting way of doing it.
And again, I have never seen anything like this.
I was there like very impressed.
I think we all were impressed.
Everybody that was there that saw the show was impressed.
Not only for the fight, just the show.
The show was gigantic.
Yeah, it was like a Hollywood type of thing.
Yeah, I totally agree.
Your next fight was, of course, Anthony Joshua, which didn't go as well for you.
Tell me about that fight and that experience.
That fight wasn't a good fight.
The whole experience wasn't good.
A lot of things were off on that fight.
And might just have been a bad day in the office, but a lot of things leading up to that fight wasn't right.
So the whole thing is not good.
Then I get to the fight.
I wasn't even off my timing and everything.
And I'm like, why are you off of timing?
And then nothing went well.
Like the first punch that wasn't even like hot that put me down.
I'm like, really?
That's when I realized that he wasn't okay.
Because that's not a punch that would get me down.
Like, even in the Tyson Fury fight, the guy, Tyson hit me with the elbow and I didn't even realize I get hit by the elbow until I saw the video after.
Then I get in the next fight like a punch that wasn't straight, the punch that hits my hand first.
I mean, that wasn't so good.
And I don't want to make an excuse, an excuse.
I lost that fight, period, and then I decided to move on.
Like, okay, next time I will get prepared better, you know, trying to fix something that I wasn't paying attention at.
Next time I should be prepared better.
Who hits harder?
Whatever he was, it was my phone.
Right.
And that's very good of you to say that.
Who hits harder?
The MMA guys or boxers?
Who actually punches harder generally?
He depends.
I would say MMA.
It depends on the punch.
It depends on how.
But remember, like MMA fight is like four ounce gloves.
And sometimes you get hit not by the gloves, but by the nickels.
Like, you know, so the sensation is different.
Even if the punch is not very hot, the sensation is very different because it's like bone to bone.
And have you worried more in your career about, you know, fighters die, right?
Very sadly, occasionally, fighters get killed doing what they do professionally.
Have you ever worried about dying while you fight?
And have you ever worried about killing somebody given your enormous power?
No, I never see somebody die.
I never get worried about because we are professional.
We do it with very organized.
We do all the exam before to check if we are healthy, if we are in a good condition to do that extreme, to go through those extremes sport.
And then there are rules, there are regulations to be taken care of about us.
So I don't worry about like die.
I don't want to get hurt.
I don't want to get hit.
I think because I know it's things that can happen.
I can get injured and I don't want to knock in the wood.
But no, I don't think about dying.
How long do you think?
How long would it take you to kill me in the ring, do you think?
Well, I think maybe you might underestimate yourself.
It's really hard.
I don't think it's that easy to cure a man.
Basically, a man that is prepared.
Like a man that is trained, well conditioned to endure that situation.
You know, the men that been stimulating that position for a long time.
So of course, if you are trained, it's different.
If you are not trained, it's quite different.
I think you might not die, but you might end up in the hospital.
I think that's highly likely.
Maybe you don't remember the day, the date.
I don't think I'd remember the year.
Yeah.
You're getting back in the MMA ring.
It's going to be your first fight since January 2022.
Are you pleased to be getting back to your original way of fighting?
Is this something you've been looking forward to?
Yes, of course.
I mean, I wanted to get here.
And then, I mean, I don't really like the word getting back because even though I have done some boxing, but I never left.
I never left MMA.
You know, like even before signing a boxing fight, I had a contract, this MMA contract signed up and put down.
So I know that it was something that I was going to do, to keep doing.
And then it's just about time.
And then, yeah, getting back into it.
You're taking on Raynor Ferreira and it's going to be pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia, October the 19th.
It's rumored, Francis, you're getting $10 million for this fight.
Is that true?
Is that a rumor?
Yes.
Well, then, let the rumor be the rumor.
But you look very happy, so can I assume the rumor's not far off?
Well, whatever it is, I'm happy with it.
You were trained by Mike Tyson when he fought Tyson Fury.
Who is the greatest fighter from any discipline that you've ever seen?
Well, I grew up idolizing Mike Tyson.
So if you ask me, I would say Mike Tyson.
And Peak Tyson against Peak Nganu?
Who wins?
In whose sport?
Anything you like.
Well, if we're gonna, if it's not boxing, I think he's gonna have a hard time.
But if it's a boxing, then I'm going to have a hard time.
And what about in the what about if it's a street fight?
No rules.
Oh, no, he's having a hard time.
I wish I could say Val about fighting Mike Tyson in the street.
Let me just, before I let you go, just a couple of things.
Focus on the Journey Not Destination00:04:39
One is a lot of talk about young men feeling a bit lost these days.
Jordan Peterson, who I interviewed last week, has talked a lot about this.
A lot of men feel slightly directionless about where they're going with their lives.
You're obviously a great role model.
What do you say to young men about the way to find a purpose in life exactly the way you did?
You know, like sometimes I will have kids ask me what to do or like to get where I am.
And then there's always one thing that I say, which I think is what works for me.
Like, it's first of all, like, to set your goal.
Like, these days around, like, there is a lot of negative energy around some people that don't even let them dream, you know.
And then not only that, don't let them, the condition around, don't let them believe in them, in their self.
And I think this is the main problem, like, from kids not believing in their self.
Like, they have a goal.
Sometimes you see some kids that have a good project or a good dream, but just because he doesn't believe in himself, in his capability of doing it, he just give it up.
Just because he listened to people around him, telling him, oh, it's not possible.
You cannot do it.
This and that.
Maybe you should just do this and that.
And then he quit, you know, which you shouldn't, you know, because like there's nothing that nobody know anything.
And I always say this, like, nobody say anything.
You're going to go out there and see people that will give you advice on how to manage your finance, but they are broke.
I'm like, how can you give me advice of manage money when you're broke?
You never have money.
You know, they will give you advice on how to become rich while they are jobless.
I'm like, why don't you lead by an example?
So therefore, I don't, you cut out all those negative energy, focus on what you're doing or whatever is your dream.
And also allow yourself, you know, like, and I and I always say this, it's my right to fail.
It's my right to be wrong.
If I decide I'm doing this, I do it.
Then I find that I was wrong.
It's my right.
I start over or I do something else.
But at least I have that experience.
At least I know why I fail, right?
Except of like just failing, just quitting because somebody tell me not to do it, you know?
And after doing it, after repeating it, after over and over, I finally find a way to get straight because I will not keep doing the same mistake over and over.
You know, I practice.
And that's how people get there.
We tend to see only like success, but we don't see the road that get to success.
You know, the way of success is very difficult.
It's very complicated.
But when the success come, nobody wants to see the way.
I remember when I was on my way, when I was on the way going to come into Europe, I was like in Morocco, living all those experience.
And I was like, well, I can't wait until I get back home someday and tell this story to my family, to my friends, stuff like that, right?
And then this journey took like four years.
And then before I get back home for the first time, and then when I get back in Cameroon for the first time, nobody want to listen to that.
Like they are just impressed about like, oh, you have been in Paris, you've been in America.
How is it?
How is that?
We saw you with this car.
We saw you in this hotel.
Like, nobody really want to listen to that.
I'm like, do you know how I get there?
Like, you want me to show you the way to get there or you want to just want the destination?
And that's what I always tell to people, like, focus on the journey and then you will get to the destination eventually and not focus on the destination.
Ignoring the Impressive Life00:00:59
You know, Francis, I think.
I can focus on the destination.
It's really hard.
I can't think of anyone whose journey is more inspiring than yours, honestly.
I said that at the start.
I mean it at the end.
It's been such a pleasure to talk to you.
You are an extremely important person.
Because you haven't met a lot of African peers.
You would have known that's a normal journey for us.
Well, it's very inspiring.
But not all of them have a journey to becoming world champion.
And that's what makes you pretty unique.
So it's been a great pleasure.
There might not be a world champion in the ring or in the octagon, but there are a lot of world champions in a different field, in their different domain, doing what they are doing and being a world champion.
I hear you.
Well, I look forward to meeting you one day.
And we can have a little arm wrestle or something.