INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Francis Ngannou has been making the rounds online for a number of different reasons.
Since former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou (18-3) returned to MMA, he has been outspoken on some spicy hot topics. He has also been closely watched for his overall performance in his fighting career. Ngannou, who returns to the cage against Philipe Lins on May 16 at Netflix’s inaugural MMA event, has been criticized for ruining his legacy in recent chapters of his fighting career.
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Ngannou was unhappy in the UFC and wanted out of the promotion, so he left the UFC as a free agent in January 2023, despite holding the heavyweight title. Since he has only competed once in MMA, defeating Renan Ferreira under the PFL banner, he has also competed in two boxing matches, losing to Tyson Fury and being badly knocked out by Anthony Joshua. Many people did not like this campaign and the decisions that led to it.
But for Ngannou, he doesn’t care about people’s opinions and his legacy in the sport.
“Let me tell you what a legacy is,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie. “My legacy now is my kids coming back home, my family coming back home, having health care, being safe, being able to put food on the table, being able to put a roof over their heads. It’s a better legacy. You can have the legacy of Muhammad Ali or whatever you want.
“If your child can’t go to school, he has no place in society. If your child doesn’t have food in his belly, inheritance doesn’t do you any good. You can’t go to the store or the gas station, and you can’t pay school fees with your inheritance. You have to understand that this is bullshit for promotion cheating warriors who are all fighting for inheritance. Good for you. Keep your inheritance and give me my due.”
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Ngannou may not have the cachet of a UFC champion. However, he has been vocal about how much more money he made from his last three fights than his entire run in the UFC, which lasted 15 fights and spanned nearly 10 years.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Francis Ngannou goes on epic rant to undermine narrative about his legacy