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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – APRIL 23: Francis Ngannou arrives to the UFC 261 Weigh-In at at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 23, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – APRIL 23: Francis Ngannou arrives to the UFC 261 Weigh-In at at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 23, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Many UFC fighters don’t just follow MMA and, as athletes, their interest in sports can go much beyond. Many UFC fighters have revealed that they follow football. One such person in Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou also follows football.
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At the AFCON 2022, team Egypt entered the semi-finals after defeating Morocco. Thus, now Egypt and Cameroon will clash on February 3. It would be an interesting match to witness as both the teams have the most number of ‘Africa Cup of Nations’ titles.
While Egypt has won it seven times, Cameroon has won the title five times. Thus, Ngannou, as well as Ali Abdelaziz, are excited.
UFC star Ngannou supports his country, Cameroon, whereas Abdelaziz is rooting for Egypt.
As a result, both engaged in some light banter on Twitter. Abdelaziz wrote, “Hey @francis_ngannou Egypt is playing with Cameroon next, please let me know how much money you wanna lose to me?”
We love you but we're going to beat you again 😜 🇨🇲x🇪🇬 #AFCON2021 https://t.co/P0FLaqOLD0
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) January 31, 2022
Giving a reply to the famous MMA manager, Ngannou wrote, “We love you but we’re going to beat you again”.
While both may hail from different countries, their passion for sports unites them. On a number of occasions, Abdelaziz has also backed up Francis Ngannou. So their fun banter is interesting for fans to watch.
Further, it would be fun to see which team eventually wins and what Abdelaziz and Ngannou have to say about their respective team’s victory or loss.
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What’s next for Francis Ngannou?
After a spectacular victory at UFC 270 against Ciryl Gane, Ngannou’s future at UFC seems uncertain. Because of the champion’s clause, ‘The Predator’ might stay till the end of this year. But he has also made it clear that he won’t compete under the same contract.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 27: (L-R) Stipe Miocic punches Francis Ngannou of Cameroon 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)
Further, he might also go in for knee surgery as he was injured prior to his bout against Gane. So if he goes through surgery, fans might not see him fight until he recovers. However, upon recovery, he could face great opponents like Stipe Miocic, Derrick Lewis, and even Jon Jones.
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It would be interesting to see what the future holds for Francis Ngannou. What do you think about his banter with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager? Let us know in the comments.
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