Ngannou says he'll make $500K for title bout vs. Miocic at UFC 220
In a handful of years, Francis Ngannou has gone from homelessness in Paris to a world title bout in Boston, and with it comes a life-changing payday.
Speaking to SFR Sport in France last week ahead of his heavyweight title bid opposite defending champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 220, the 31-year-old contender revealed he'll be pocketing $500,000 for the biggest fight of his career.
When the hosts compared the purse to that of the French national soccer team that won the 1998 World Cup, Ngannou had a quip at the ready.
"It's my first world title fight, and it also needs to be acknowledged my rise was meteoric, so I moved up before the numbers could follow," he said.
Ngannou moved to the French capital from his native Cameroon a few years ago with designs on becoming a boxer, and lived on the streets of Paris for a time, but has quickly risen up the UFC heavyweight ranks in just two years, dispatching six men inside the distance. He now lives in Las Vegas and trains at the UFC Performance Institute, but traveled back to Paris to finish his training camp with longtime coach Fernand Lopez.
The contender earned his shot at Miocic's gold with a first-round KO of Alistair Overeem at UFC 218 last month. He meets the champ Saturday in the main event of UFC 220 at Boston's TD Garden.