How did Francis Ngannou get his nickname 'The Predator'? 

Francis Ngannou is undoubtedly one of the most ferocious strikers in combat sports right now. The Cameroonian's nickname 'The Predator' embodies everything about his game and approach to fighting. The inspiration for his nickname is the 1987 motion picture 'Predator', starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During an interview with MMA Junkie back in 2019, Ngannou mentioned the exact scene which inspired him to use the title of the movie as his nickname. He said:

"It’s when Arnold Schwarzenegger touches the leaf, and there was some green thing. It’s blood. And then he says, ‘If it’s bleeding, that means it could die. The hope, the belief that he could die. And the fact that he believed that was the only reason that he was the one that stayed alive.' Because all those people are shooting, just panicking, but nobody really believed in it. He believed, and the hope helped him to survive.”

Watch the scene from 'Predator' that inspired Francis Ngannou below:

Francis Ngannou can certainly relate to the above scene and dialogues from the movie 'Predator'.

Ngannou was born in a small village in Batié, Cameroon. He didn’t have any formal education growing up and lived in poverty throughout his childhood. He even started working in a sand quarry in Batié at the age of 10 in order to provide for his family.

Following an arduous journey across the Sahara Desert, the Moroccan-Spanish border and the Mediterranean Sea, Ngannou was jailed in Spain for illegally crossing the border. He was released after two months in a detention facility and subsequently made his way to Paris.

He was homeless in the French capital for quite a while before being introduced to Fernand Lopez, the head coach at the MMA Factory in Paris. A little over a decade later, having overcome so much adversity in his life, he is the heavyweight champion of the world.

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Francis Ngannou claims Ciryl Gane won't survive more than two rounds with him

Ngannou is set to take on Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on January 22nd. Ahead of this highly anticipated title matchup, the Cameroonian has given his predictions for the fight.

During an interview with TMZ Sports, 'The Predator' claimed that 'Bon Gamin' is not as tough as Stipe Miocic. Hence, Ngannou believes that Gane won't be able to last more than two rounds with him. He said:

"I don't see how we will end this fight without me knocking him out, maybe under two rounds. Because he's not as tough as Stipe."

Watch Francis Ngannou's full interview with TMZ Sports below:

Ngannou vs. Gane is by far the most highly anticipated heavyweight matchup in the UFC in recent years. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top at UFC 270.