Francis Ngannou Parents Raised Him In A Sand Mine In Cameroon With The Rest Of His Family

Francis Ngannou parents Emmanuel Fosso and mamma Ngannou raised five kids in a sand mine in Cameroon.

Ngannou’s father, Emmanuel Fosso didn’t have the best reputation going on for him. He was a known street fighter and could take on five to six gang members. Emmanuel lost his battle with a long-term illness in 2001 when Francis was 15 years old. His parents had divorced nine years before his dad passed away.

Not having a father figure to guide him did take a toll on the young teenager and knowing his papa could’ve been saved if they were not poverty-stricken certainly hurt the Cameroon-born athlete more. 

In an Instagram post that Francis made in 2021, the athlete shared his thought with his fans on the day of his father’s demise 20 years ago. The athlete shared the photo of him standing on his father’s thigh as he waved to the camera. He has hanged the photo on his wall, and it is one of the few photos that the athlete has with his old man.

The Cameroonian athlete loves his mom like no other person in the world. She continues to live in Cameroon despite her son being a household name and can afford whatever she demands in the US.

But this was also the country that had denied her visa twice. She doesn’t hold a grudge about that, as she always intended to return to Africa after watching her son’s fight. A nine-year-old, Francis would tag along with his mom to the sand mines, where she would work grueling hours.

She never thought that one day instead of loading the sand in the trucks, she would own one of those trucks. But the son who used to accompany her to that place made her dreams come true. 

Francis Ngannou father Emmanuel Fosso passed away when he was fifteen years old.

“I wonder what would it be like if my dad was still alive today”, wrote Francis in an Instagram post shared in 2021. You could bet that his father would be beaming with pride seeing his son take down one opponent after another in the octagon ring.

In an interview with ESPN, Francis said he didn’t want to emulate his dad in any way. He didn’t mean it as disrespect, but the athlete knew if he did follow in his daddy’s footsteps, he would be fighting gang members instead of professional athletes. 

Francis shared the photo of him standing between his mom and dad when he was two years old in 2018. There isn’t a single thing in the world he would have wanted more than to stand between the two again with his championship belt on his shoulder.

There was a time when the UFC fighter would be known as Emmanuel’s son in their village in Batie, Cameroon, and stereotypically would have counted out Francis from achieving anything because of his father’s reputation. 

They probably thought he would turn out a hooligan, but little Francis had already set his mind to achieving greatness. He would say to his friends that one day he would go to the US and make a name for himself there. 

If Emmanuel was present on the pickup truck that carried his son around Batie as he stood holding the belt, he certainly wouldn’t have missed the chance to rub it on the villagers that once doubted the young kids’ dream. 

Francis Ngannou mother lives in Cameroon with the rest of her four kids in a mud hut. 

The love and affinity Francis has for his mom are unmatched by anything else in the world. She was one of the first people who held the championship belt after Francis knocked out Stipe Miocic in 2021.

Once a simple worker in the sand mines, Francis gifted his mom a truck in 2016, a sign that the family was slowly starting to walk away from poverty. He bought the truck after saving $30k from his MMA and UFC fights.

Spending $30k meant the fighter would have to lower his expenses for the coming months. He probably would do it again if it meant he saw a smile on his mum’s face, but this time around, he certainly doesn’t need to worry about the coming months.

That was back in 2016 when Ngannou wasn’t much recognized in the UFC. Now one of the most beloved fighters in UFC, Francis is seen clicking photos with his mum in front of their private cars.

But his mommy continues to live a humble life, despite her son being considered a hero in their homeland. In a photo shared by Francis on his Instagram handle in 2020, the fighter can be seen with his mummy cooking a dish in a mud house. 

Mamma Ngannou was pictured wearing a UFC hat and athletic clothes, which Francis might have requested her to wear as he wished her on the occasion of mother’s day. Recently, Francis celebrated the New Year by going grocery shopping with her in Batie. 

Francis Ngannou comes from a family with a background in martial arts. 

Ngannou shared the fact in 2019 when he posted a photo of him with his uncle, Maurice, who the fighter said had a ‘Black belt 2nd Dan’ since 1980. Uncle Maurice also had a Judo Brown belt since 1974. 

There was another side that the fighter wished he didn’t have to live through. Working in sand mines was the norm for the UFC fighter’s family. He would join his sibling and his mummy in the mines and would be paid $1.9 a day.

In 2019, on the occasion of Labor Day, the fighter posted a photo of him working in the mines and the fields. A place that he was more familiar with than school playgrounds or even classes. 

Francis and his older brother, who was three years older than him, would work in the mines with their mummy, and they would go home to their three younger siblings, who would be waiting for them. His older brother worked as a mechanic before he bought the truck for the family in 2016. 

The UFC fighter also shares strong bonds with his nieces and nephews. Having an uncle like Francis is a flex for them. The fighter is yet to have kids of his own. The veteran fighter is yet to be married. 

One day when the fighter does have children, they might be expected to follow in his footsteps, and until then, the boy who dared to dream big will make sure that his offspring will have a hard to match his legacy. 

On January 8, 2023, the UFC fighter posted pictures of him enjoying a dinner with his sibling and mummy in his hometown. It was a normal post before fans noticed his mummy was wearing a PFL shirt. 

This sent Twitter into a frenzy as some fans even joked Francis Ngannou vs Jake Paul was confirmed. Many UFC fans are waiting for the Cameroon-born fighter to put his belt on the line and face Jon Jonas, but that might be totally out of the frame if Francis thinks of joining PFL.