Francis Ngannou went from being homeless to becoming the ‘baddest man on the planet’ when he won the UFC heavyweight championship.
Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic inside two rounds to capture the heavyweight belt at UFC 260. He successfully defended it against Cyril Gane before leaving the UFC after failing to come to terms with a contract extension.
Coming from humble beginnings in Cameroon, Ngannou is the perfect example of a self-made champion. He owes his success to hardwork and determination. No fighter probably works as hard as Ngannou to achieve his impressive body. Francis has one of the most sculpted body in MMA and he accomplished that with many hours in a gym and an insane workout routine.
In 2021, Ngannou posted a YouTube video of his upper body workout and it’s nothing short of insane. He begins with 120 clap pushups followed by decline pushups. Next is dips, narrow pushups, and burpees.
Ngannou’s YouTube page has plenty of other workout videos. And the type of workout he does depends on which stage of the training camp he’s in. Aside from strength and conditioning exercises, Ngannou also does plenty of sparring and grappling sessions to prepare himself for his fights. When he’s not at the gym, Francis also does cardio exercises without equipment in his backyard.
Since he fought in the boxing ring in his last two fights, Francis’ training camp looked a little different. According to his head coach Dewey Cooper, the Predator utilized a 12-week training camp with three training sessions per day, six times a week. The sessions range from 45 minutes to three hours.
To increase his stamina and endurance for a 12-round boxing bout, Ngannou has high-intensity sparring sessions. For conditioning, the former UFC heavyweight king uses plyometric exercices like side jumps, jump rope, and forward hops.
Cooper also said that Ngannou’s routine also includes medicine ball thrusts, pushups, box jumps, squats, ladder drills, hills, high-knee drills, and lateral leaps. Cooper added that Francis’ regimen is a grueling one. But to be able to perform at the highest level, it’s something he needs.