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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 27: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon prepares to fight Stipe Miocic in their UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 260 event at UFC APEX on March 27, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 27: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon prepares to fight Stipe Miocic in their UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 260 event at UFC APEX on March 27, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Francis Ngannou is undoubtedly one of the most dominant heavyweight fighters in the history of the UFC. ‘The Predator’ has destroyed almost every opponent the UFC has put him against and is the reigning heavyweight champion. He defended his belt for the first time against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
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Prior to his bout, Ngannou revealed on social media that he would be taking half of his UFC 270 purse in bitcoin. In a recent podcast with Joe Pompliano, Ngannou revealed his reason for doing so.
New episode with @francis_ngannou is live!
Francis is an incredibly inspirational person & this conversation was fantastic.
We talked about his journey from Cameroon to the US, why he sacrificed $10 million, being paid in Bitcoin & more.
Listen: https://t.co/n8iuWtkSCQ
Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/QML7d97Q5s
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) February 8, 2022
The Cameroonian explained, “I’ve been hearing about bitcoin few years ago. But not until last year, that my manager brought that idea to me. Basically, with the NFT. Let me be honest. I did not understand sh*t about it. I’m like, what the hell is that. He was like trust us, we gonna do this right. You’re gonna see how it payout. And at the end, it was very interesting, the NFT’s stuff. I then wanna start to follow like Bitcoin, Ethereum, the crypto market in general. It was very interesting.”
“Then I realized it’s even a better bank because like not only my money is not getting reflected but it’s like very decentralized. Nobody is controlling my money and telling me what to do and when. I don’t need permission from anybody to do my thing… I found it very interesting and I really believe that it’s going to be the future for the economy and everything.”
What’s next for Francis Ngannou?
Ciryl Gane was supposed to be one of the toughest competitors for Ngannou, but ‘The Predator’ absolutely destroyed him at UFC 270. However, after the fight, the champion revealed that he went into the bout with a torn ACL. Moreover, he didn’t call the fight off even though he was walking wounded.
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 22: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon celebrates after defeating Ciryl Gane of France by unanimous decision in their heavyweight title fight during the UFC 270 event at Honda Center on January 22, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Unfortunately, this injury will keep the champion away from the octagon until he is completely healed. On his return, a fight with the former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, might be on the cards for him.
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‘Bones’ Jones, who will make his return this year, has shown interest in taking on ‘The Predator‘. Meanwhile, other names like Stipe Miocic and Curtis Blaydes will also be keen to fight the champ.
Who do you think is next for the heavyweight champion? Let us know in the comments section below.
