An inspiring UFC fighter, this hard-hitting heavyweight enjoys, promotes healthy snacks

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Talk about inspirational stories.

Francis “The Predator” Ngannou came from nothing, risking his life for something better. The risk paid off, and he became a top-ranked, title-contending UFC fighter.

Ngannou, 34, is a Cameroonian-French professional MMA fighter competing in the heavyweight division of UFC.

He is known as being the hardest-recorded puncher in UFC history with knockout victories against top competitors such as Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski.

Francis “The Predator” Ngannou
Francis “The Predator” Ngannou

With a 16-3 record and five Performance of the Night bonuses, he is ranked No.1 in the UFC heavyweight rankings and 15th in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound category.

Francis “The Predator” Ngannou
Francis “The Predator” Ngannou

Even though he is a heavyweight, Ngannou is a healthy eater, and that’s why he has joined the PeaTos team.

Here is Part 1 of my audio interview with Francis Ngannou.

PeaTos is a snack that tastes and crunches like your favorite junk food (think Cheetos and Funyuns) without all the junk (artificial ingredients and freaky fluorescent colors) and with better nutrition. PeaTos is on a mission to change the way the world snacks, and with Ngannou on board, it’s full speed ahead.

PeaTos
PeaTos

About Francis Ngannou

Growing up in poverty in a small village in Batié, Cameroon, the 6-4, 255-pound Ngannou dreamed big.

He risked his life, traveling in a small inflatable raft on the wide-open waters, hoping (like others seeking a better life) the Red Cross would see and rescue them on the high seas. His death-defying 14-month journey took him from Cameroon to Morocco and then Morocco to Spain and Spain to France.

Upon reaching Europe, he was jailed two months in Spain for illegally crossing the border. After Ngannou reached Paris, he had no money, no friends and no place to live. After living on the streets of Paris, he began training in combat sports for free in August 2013 under Didier Carmont. Being a fan of “Iron” Mike Tyson, Ngannou was originally interested in learning how to box until his coach introduced him to MMA.

Francis “The Predator” Ngannou and Cain Velasquez.
Francis “The Predator” Ngannou and Cain Velasquez.

As a youth, Ngannou lived in poverty and had little formal education. His parents divorced when he was 6, and he was sent to live with his aunt. At 12, Ngannou started working in a sand quarry in Batié because of a lack of funds. He was approached by various gangs in his village to join them. However, Ngannou refused and instead decided to use his father’s reputation as a street fighter as motivation to do something positive, pursuing boxing.

At 22, Ngannou began training in boxing, despite the initial reluctance from his family. After training for a year, he stopped due to illness. He did various odd jobs to make ends meet, until age 26, when he decided to head to Paris to pursue professional boxing.

Ngannou started his MMA career in November 2013 and fought mostly in the French promotion 100% Fight and other regional promotions in Europe, amassing a 5-1 record. Then it happened. UFC came calling in 2015, and Ngannou made his UFC debut against fellow newcomer Luis Henrique in December that year at UFC on FOX 17. He won via knockout in the second round, and his UFC venture began.

Here is Part 2 of my audio interview with Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou, who resides in Las Vegas, trains at Xtreme Couture Las Vegas.

Ngannou’s amazing story inspired others, and he is well respected by other athletes/celebs, including “Iron” Mike Tyson, Shaq and “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson.

Francis “The Predator” Ngannou and “Iron” Mike Tyson.
Francis “The Predator” Ngannou and “Iron” Mike Tyson.

Always remembering his roots, Ngannou is the founder of the Francis Ngannou Foundation. It is the first combat sports gym in his native Cameroon, aiming to offer facilities for young people to pursue their dreams in sports.

Foundation: https://www.francisngannoufoundation.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francisngannou/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/francis_ngannou

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Francis-NGannou-1623144494593901/

Web: https://www.ufc.com/athlete/francis-ngannou

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZJvI9kR_TlUTQSObAn8fg

PeaTos
PeaTos

About PeaTos

Rapidly growing PeaTos is advancing its mission to create a new class of snack chips that offer all the taste and crunch of America’s top selling “junk food” like Cheetos and Funyuns but by augmenting the old-school base of corn with peas and removing the artificial stuff.

Now you get all that “junk food” chip taste you crave without any of the junk.

Ngannou might be a heavyweight, but he is all about healthy eating, sancking.

““PeaTos is my kind of snack. They don’t back down from a fight, and neither do I,” Ngannou said in a release. “PeaTos has the potential to be the new heavyweight champion in snack chips. We’re in this to win it, together.”

Learn more at peatos.com, and find it on Facebook.com/peatosbrand, Twitter https://twitter.com/peatosbrand and Instagram @peatosbrand.

https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/29695055/dana-white-francis-ngannou-gets-first-shot-heavyweight-champion-stipe-miocic

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ufcs-francis-ngannou-defeats-cain-velasquez-in-26-seconds

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