Francis Ngannou reveals how 'The Rock' Dwayne Johnson keeps him motivated over back-and-forth DMs

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou recently opened up about his friendship with Dwayne Johnson and revealed how speaking with the Fast and Furious actor motivates him to work even harder.

During his appearance on The Daily Show, Ngannou said:

"I always look up to somebody like 'The Rock' Dwayne Johnson. And recently, he noticed me, you know, and now we even chat. I text, and 'The Rock' texts back. And sometimes, he [leaves] me a voicemail. And then, when I wake up someday, I just listen to it- 'The Rock' voice message. You know, I'll go out there that day and I work double of what I was supposed to work."

He continued:

"I'm just motivated, I'm like, 'Damn, 'The Rock' left me a message. This is it. The enthusiasm, the motivation of that message, you know. And then I realize how great it is to be in the position that you have that power to just talk to somebody and change his day or his life. And I want to be the same thing for others."

Watch Francis Ngannou's full interview with The Daily Show in the video below:

Ciryl Gane emerges as a favorite over Francis Ngannou ahead of UFC 270 clash

Francis Ngannou seems highly determined to emerge victories in his first title defense against former teammate Ciryl Gane. 'The Predator' also went on to claim earlier that he expects a knockout win in under two rounds against Gane.

Despite the bold prediction made by the champion, 'Bon Gamin' - who is coming off an impressive win over Derrick Lewis - is heading into the bout as a slight favorite at most sportsbooks.

At the time of this writing, online sportsbook Bovada shows challenger Ciryl Gane as a -145 favorite over champion Ngannou, who is a +120 underdog.

Ngannou is currently on a five-fight winning streak in the UFC, with his last loss coming against Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 in July of 2018. The upcoming fight will be a huge test for the champion, who is defending his heavyweight crown for the first time since winning it from Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in March of 2021.

Meanwhile, Ciryl Gane (10-0) - who is undefeated in his MMA career - became the interim champion with a dominant win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265.

'Bon Gamin' has the opportunity to unify the belts and become the undisputed champion of the heavyweight division by defeating Francis Ngannou at the upcoming pay-per-view event.