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You can follow the preliminary fights for UFC 270, including that of Charles Jourdain, starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, on RDS INFO and Sportish.
BATIÉ, Cameroon – Rodrigue Ngannou and Robert Meupeuh take off their shoes, brush away the few dead leaves at their feet and approach with deference a huge rock that juts out at the edge of a small road in the west of the Cameroon, in Batié.
Their thoughts fly thousands of miles away, to Francis Ngannou, the UFC heavyweight world champion, the village child who will challenge against Frenchman Ciryl Gane, Saturday in Anaheim, his title won in March 2021.
“Here is our sacred place. The rock that speaks, ”explains Rodrigue, his paternal uncle, to AFP, in the small town of Batié where he grew up. “Francis is a blessed child. He is like a pebble, he is a rock. No one can overthrow it, ”abounds Robert, also from his family.
They put their shoes back on, go down a small path and pass a few mud houses. The main road goes away. Then rises the murmur of a spring of water.
“Every time he has a fight, the gods are asked to accompany him. It’s not just for us, the family. It’s not just for the West region, but it’s for the whole of Cameroon,” continues Robert.
“It was from this source that he drew water. It was her that he drank to be stronger, to be 6 ft 4 in and nearly 250 pounds, ”he assures.
Solitary, not brawler
Batié is located in the heart of the Bamileke lands, one of the main ethnic groups in Cameroon, very proud of its customs and traditions.
The house where Francis Ngannou, 35, lived has not changed. Outside, a woman has spread a large white canvas on which she is drying beans. Inside, children’s clothes hang. School books rest on a small wooden table and a pot of vegetables is placed on the dirt floor.
But at the very top of the family compound, he had a very large house built overlooking the surrounding hills.
What a path traveled by the child of Batié. Born in poverty, he spent a lonely childhood. “When he was young, he could go for hours without saying a word. He was calm, never fought, ”says Mr. Meupeuh.
As a teenager, like many young people in the country, he was forced to work after school and on weekends to earn some money and pay for his schooling. He descends into the quarries and collects sand which he loads into trucks.
Then he left for Douala, the economic capital, saw odd jobs, started boxing. He believes in his star, imagines a destiny. In 2012, he took the road to exile and arrived in Paris. Without money or accommodation, he quickly began looking for a boxing gym. He knocks on the right door. “The MMA Factory”, a factory for champions where Ciryl Gane also trains.
Fernand Lopez, the club’s sports director, gives him a chance, opens the doors of his room for free. Francis Ngannou is wreaking havoc. In 2015, he made his debut in the UFC, before winning the heavyweight belt in 2021.
Pride of Africa
In Batié, he is adored. Posters of the champion are scattered everywhere. On fight nights, the inhabitants gather in front of the screens of the bars. In May, they were more than 2000 to welcome him to the village to celebrate his title.
On Saturday, everyone expects a new demonstration of the “Predator”, his nickname. “No one in the world can stand in front of him,” predicts Roger Kamgang, a 56-year-old sandblaster.
“He is the pride of Batiés, Cameroon and Africa”, enthuses Tchouainkam Dada Théodore, king of the Batié people. “He does not fail to return to his native village before and after each fight, to recharge his batteries and to take the blessing from his ancestors. All his exploits are based on respect for the custom and traditional institutions of his territory, ”explains the sovereign to AFP.
“When he returns to the village, he lives like everyone else. He sucks his sugar cane, eats his corn. You can’t imagine the champion he is,” says his uncle Rodrigue.
“I work in the sand pits and I come to train here in the evening. He gave us the strength to fight and to believe in ourselves,” says Happy Franch, 28, who dreams of following his path.
