Francis Ngannou Workout - Out of Africa

Welcome to our ‘Out of Africa’ Workout. The second of our MMA Legend workouts. Based on the training regime of Cameroon’s finest son Francis ‘The Predator’ Ngannou.

Want to skip the intro and go straight to the Francis Ngannou workouts? Click below!

Introduction

On March 27, 2021, Francis ‘The Predator’ Ngannou made MMA history when he became the first African to hold the UFC Heavyweight title. The long-anticipated match was a rematch against Stipe Miocic. Ngannou had lost their first encounter back at UFC 220. His strength, power and boxing talent were not enough to overcome the wrestling and tactics of the veteran Miocic. Officially now the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’, Francis has also been called the ’scariest man on the planet’. This has been due to his sheer size, mean look and raw strength. Securing victory after victory on the long road back to the Heavyweight belt. Now that he has convincingly KO’ed the GOAT heavyweight Miocic many wonder what is next for the Cameroonian fighter. Our post looks at the background of Francis Ngannou, his training experience, his fitness regime, and his mindset for training.

Background

Francis Ngannou was born in Batie, Cameroon, Africa in September 1984. Batie is a small village with a lack of resources and infrastructure. Resultantly, he grew up to a life of poverty and little opportunity. Francis missed out on formal education, choosing instead to drop out and work in a sand quarry.

Even at this early age, Francis knew he had a higher calling and was determined to rise above his situation. Ngannou avoided the lure of the Cameroonian street gangs and the opportunity to make ‘easy money’. Instead, Francis became interested in Boxing and decided to aim for that as a positive motivating force in his life.

So at the age of 22, Ngannou began training in boxing undertaking odd jobs to pay the bills. His family had concerns that he was wasting time on ‘dreams’ when he had a stable job.

Exodus

The little money he made, however, was not enough to help him towards his goals. At 26, Ngannou realized that to make it he had to go where there were greater opportunities. And those opportunities were sadly not in Batie, Cameroon. Francis decided he was going to break free from what was holding him back and risk it all. He put aside what little money he made and plotted an epic journey to head for Europe. Where he hoped to find a decent living that would afford him the opportunity to pursue his boxing goals. And so began Francis’s epic journey to become the UFC’s Predator and the ‘Baddest man on the Planet’.

To read the full story of Francis Ngannou’s journey to the bright lights and glory of the UFC click here.

Style

Naturally, Francis’s go-to style is Boxing, a sport of which he is a lifelong fan. Due to his size and power, he managed to get by early using his raw strength and power. Ngannou has the hardest measured punching power in UFC history, supposedly the equivalent of 96 horsepower. His victories over well-established fighters by way of KO are certainly impressive. Ngannou has astonishingly scored 11 of his 12 knockouts in the first round. Taking down established opponents such as Alistair Overeem, Junior Dos Santos, Rosenstruik, and Curtis Blaydes with seemingly relative ease.

Back to the drawing board

Following his defeat at the hands of (then Heavyweight champ) Stipe Miocic, Ngannou realized his grappling skills were lacking. He changed camp from MMA Factory (France) to Xtreme Couture (USA) and began working on his grappling skills. He also became fast friends with fellow African and UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Usman (whose background is wrestling) helped Ngannou with his grappling skills as well as keeping his composure in the cage. The result has seen a much more composed, relaxed, and evenly skilled Ngannou. Displaying many skills in the match not normally associated with him such as kicking ability. His low kicks chopped into Stipe’s thighs, and a powerful high kick left Miocic very surprised. When engaged in wrestling during the rematch he actually managed to outwrestled Stipe before KO’ing him! His defensive and offensive wrestling skills have come a long way since UFC 260.

Stats

Fight Record

Significant Professional fights

Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem

In one of the biggest profile fights of his career, Ngannou faced veteran Alistair Overeem on 2 December 2017 at UFC 218. Ngannou needed just under two minutes to dispose of ‘The Demolition Man’, who was fighting professionally for the 60th time.

The fight started with Overeem rushing in with a wild left hook attempt, which Ngannou easily dodged. Overeem then attempted a takedown on Ngannou but was not able to control his opponent. The referee separated them and the two stood toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon. An exchange of strikes began, Overeem threw a lazy left hand followed by a right hook. However, Ngannou countered with a left uppercut that knocked Overeem cleanout. Alistair crashed to the canvas and Ngannou landed a heavy hammerfist before the referee stepped in to end the fight. This knockout has been labeled as one of the greatest and most brutal knockouts of all time. The fight was stopped at 1:42 of R1.

Francis Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic I (UFC 220)

After the Overeem win, Ngannou was next in line for a title shot against (then) champ Stipe Miocic. This UFC Heavyweight title bout took place on 20 January 2018 at UFC 220. In the buildup to this match, Francis felt that things were not right. The fight was booked for 6 weeks giving him what he felt was inadequate time to prepare against Miocic. It is not without reason why Stipe is acclaimed as the Heavyweight GOAT having defended the title more times than any previous champion. Miocic is a well-rounded veteran fighter, with a background in grappling which would be a big disadvantage to Ngannou. He is also known as a fight tactician and a gifted counter striker.

Francis knew that he had his work cut out for him and for him to beat Miocic he needed to be prepared. However, that was not the case and Francis had many obstacles in front of him. Firstly since he had no fight camp in the US and no manager to set things up for him. As such he had to return to the MMA Factory in Paris. Travelling to Paris to prepare and back to the US were taking their toll. The travelling and the visas all took time setting up, and he realised if someone were doing this for him it would free up more time to prepare. Deep down he knew he needed an MMA camp in the USA to make things smoother for him.

Due to Ngannou’s previous dominance against established fighters, many expected him to steamroller Miocic. However, experience, skill and tactics were to win the day. The fight started with Ngannou pressing forward using power and strength. Miocic ate several heavy shots from the Predator but remained calm and composed. Several times in the first round Stipe was able to get Ngannou to the ground with his superior wrestling skills. From there the fight was very much a one-sided affair. With Ngannou very much showing his inexperience in grappling and groundwork. Stipe was able to neutralise Ngannou’s legendary punching power and completely dominate Francis Ngannou on the floor. Ngannou had no answers, he looked exhausted in comparison to Stipe, which led some to question his cardio. Miocic continued to dominate in the following 4 rounds. He outwrestled and outboxed Ngannou leading to a convincing unanimous decision victory.

After the loss to Stipe, Francis went on to lose (by decision) to Derrick Lewis. The fight is infamous for being perhaps the most boring in UFC history. Both fighters are the hardest punchers in the UFC, and so were over-cautious about overcommitting. Those back-to-back losses meant Francis had to regroup and come up with a new plan, going forward. Francis had a serious rethink about his direction, obstacles and the holes in his game. He knew he had to train closer to where the fights were so began looking at US training camps. He joined Xtreme Couture (Randy Couture’s MMA camp) and began working on his grappling and jiu-jitsu. He also took the time to look into his weaknesses from the first fight (gassing out too early and lack of wrestling defence). He looked to become a more relaxed and composed fighter. Someone who looked for openings instead of blitzing in and going straight for the KO in every match. He told himself that it was he who was calling the shots and no one else.

Francis Ngannou vs. Cain Velasquez

After changing camps, Ngannou faced former UFC heavyweight champion in Cain Velasquez on 17 February 2019. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Velasquez started off the proceedings with a couple of kicks that Ngannou easily avoided. Francis responded with a couple of punches. Cain level changed and came at Ngannou with a double leg takedown attempt. However, Ngannou caught him flush with an uppercut, at the same time Cain’s knee buckled and he hit the mat. Going in for the kill, Ngannou rained down a flurry of blows and Cain failed to defend himself. Referee Jason Herzog had seen enough and called the fight. From the replay, it was clear that the key factor to Velasquez going down was his left knee buckling. Regardless, it was a tick in the win column for Ngannou’s record. The official decision was Francis Ngannou def. Cain Velasquez via TKO (Punches) R1, 0:26 After a shaky start to 2018 with the losses to Miocic and Lewis, the Predator was back on track having knocked out Curtis Blaydes and Velasquez in just 71 seconds in his last two fights.

Francis Ngannou vs. Junior Dos Santos

Ngannou faced another former UFC champion Junior dos Santos on 29 June 2019 at UFC. Ngannou started the fight with a couple of punishing low leg kicks. After an exchange of kicks, JDS stepped in to punch, but Ngannou avoided and landed a couple of counter punches. As dos Santos retreated to recover, he erroneously turned his back to Ngannou. This allowed the Cameroonian predator to stun his foe with a left hook from the blindside. JDS crumpled in trouble and Francis began to rain in the blows from above. The referee stopped the match. The official decision: Francis Ngannou defeats Junior dos Santos via R1 TKO. The fight had just lasted 71 seconds. It earned Francis the Performance of the Night award. Afterward, Ngannou called for a second shot at Stipe Miocic and the Heavyweight crown.

Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

A rematch with Miocic was held up since Miocic was engaged in a trilogy of fights with Daniel Cormier. In the meantime, Ngannou took on another contender for the crown, Suriname heavy hitter Jairzinho Rozenstruik. After a number of re-schedules due to the COVID-19 situation, Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik eventually took place on 9 May 2020 at UFC 249. The fight defined violence, taking just a brutal 20 seconds to start and finish. After a couple of exchanges, Ngannou blitzed forward with a lethal combination. A couple of heavy blows connected with Rozenstruik’s chin sending him crashing into the fence. In for the kill, Francis weighed in with a barrage of heavy blows before the referee stopped it.

The result put Ngannou on a four-fight win streak. It also cemented his position as the top contender to take on the winner of Miocic/Cormier for the Heavyweight gold.

Francis Ngannou vs Stipe Miocic II (UFC260)

The long-awaited rematch for the UFC Heavyweight Championship between Miocic and Ngannou was scheduled for 27 March 2021 at UFC260.

The defeat in the first fight with Miocic had crushed Ngannou on many levels. He had recognized his weaknesses and knew he had to make a lot of changes to take down a champion of Stipe’s quality. The first of the changes he had made was signing up with a US-based training camp. Training in the US prior to fights meant less hassle and time wasted on travel, visas, and other red tape obstacles. He chose Randy Couture’s wrestling camp Xtreme Couture basing himself at their camp in Las Vegas, Nevada. His team to help him take on Miocic included a few new additions.

Eric Nicksick (2020 MMA Coach of the Year)

Dewey ‘The Black Kobra’ Cooper (Kickboxing Champion in several divisions including K1)

Kamaru Usman (current UFC Welterweight Champion)

Francis trained hard every day and covered all bases, with his standup, wrestling offense, and defense as well as ground skills. Having his friend and fellow African Welterweight UFC champ Kamaru Usman was a great boon. The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ is an accomplished grappler and highly focussed fighter. Usman’s support extended not only with the grappling but also with keeping his composure in a fight. During the rematch, he was in Ngannou’s corner (as was Ngannou for Usman’s later match against rival Jorge Masvidal). With Nicksick they studied footage of Stipe’s previous fights as well as the first Miocic/Ngannou fight. They studied Stipe’s movement, his traps, and counters, anything they could use to their advantage in the rematch.

UFC 260 Main Event

The mental and physical preparation for the second match paid dividends. Ngannou showed exceptional levels of improvement in his skills in their second match-up. Indeed, he came across as a much more well-rounded fighter. Stipe had fought the perfect fight against Ngannou in their first bout. Since Miocic is a great fighter for counter-attacks he set traps that allowed him to easily take apart a power-striker like Ngannou. As opposed to his previous tendencies of simply rushing in and throwing heavy haymakers, Ngannou was calm and composed. (You can hear Usman shouting at him throughout the fight to calm down and relax).

Stipe had outboxed and outwrestled Ngannou in their first match. But by keeping his composure and saving his energy Francis was able to pick away at his opponent. Things got more frustrating for Stipe when he instinctively went for the wrestling level change. Ngannou sprawled snuffing out Stipe Miocic’s only takedown attempt and demonstrated incredible takedown defense. He even managed to reverse the move before landing several heavy body shots to Miocic. Ngannou won the fight via a brutal knockout in round two which poleaxed Stipe and sent him crashing to the mat. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. Francis Ngannou had finally come full circle, evolving into a well-rounded MMA fighter. The Cameroonian street kid had survived years of adversity and obstacles to reach the pinnacle of MMA glory. He had become Cameroon and indeed Africa’s first UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Training

Ngannou’s training includes many MMA-related bodyweight and HIIT (high-intensity) style workouts. These include sparring, pad work, boxing, agility drills, resistance, and functional training. Much of his training is focused on improving strength, endurance, and power, with cardio thrown in for good measure. Having little access during his early training to training equipment tends to stick to bodyweight/equipment lite training methods. This is great since you are not dependent on having gym equipment available.

Francis will train intensely in his training camps prior to a fight. He tends to work out seven days a week, mixing intense training days with active recovery days. Two weeks before the fight, he will slow down the training to allow his body to make a full recovery. During these pre-fight weeks, he uses slow movements for training and uses reduced power whilst doing pad workouts and sparring. This leaves him in top condition for his matches as his muscles will have fully repaired with few to no stresses or strains.

Francis Ngannou Workouts

These circuits are based on the training regime of Francis ‘The Predator’ Ngannou. They are a combination of bodyweight, resistance exercise, various cardiovascular methods, wrestling, and MMA drills. We hope you enjoy them. 🙂

You will need...

Various functional low tech equipment can be used (although not essential) any equipment found here that you do not have access to can easily be supplemented. Useful equipment for these workouts, however, will include sandbags, dumbbells, barbells, boxing/MMA gloves, punchbag, sparring pads, medicine balls, resistance bands.

Structure

The training is over 5 days per week with Saturday and Sunday left for active recovery. Day-to-day, the training is spread out over 2 sessions to be undertaken in the morning and afternoon or evening (am/pm). Undertake a cardio session of your choice in the morning (30-45mins), then undertake fitness and conditioning and MMA drills on consecutive days (so Monday fitness, then Tuesday MMA drills for example).

Cardio.
Fitness and conditioning.
Wrestling and Striking drills.

Cardio sessions

Strictly cardio session, keep the session light but challenging. Running, rowing, cycling take your pick. 30-45 minutes steady-state workout.

MMA sessions

These routines involve MMA circuits like sparring, pad workout, agility, grappling drills, etc. Since Francis’s foundation style is boxing, the circuits will be ‘hands’ heavy. That said, Francis has come a long way since his early training and is a much more well-rounded and versatile fighter. His wrestling has developed greatly since his first bout with Stipe Miocic. Much of that is due to his friendship with UFC Middleweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Therefore the workouts will include MMA kicks and knees as well as a grappling element.

These morning circuits will focus on punching, footwork, coordination, distance judgment, and combinations), mobility, agility, speed, strength, and power.

Fitness and conditioning sessions

The evening routines will include bodyweight, functional, cardio, and some resistance-type exercises. Francis tends to stick to bodyweight exercises, with some functional exercises as opposed to resistance training. Conditioning your body is as important as building physical strength.

Cardio Training

(3-4 days a week)

30-45 minutes of steady state cardio. Bring out your inner Predator and try to make sure the exercise is outdoors in the fresh air.

Cardio to choose from:-

Swimming.
Longer distance runs. 45 mins.
Rowing.
Stair climbing.
Cycling.

MMA Drills

(2-3 days a week)

NB: The MMA workouts are more about speed, agility. Use them as recovery workouts for the evening exercises. Concentrate on cardio, so the volume of punches rather than power. Shake the lactic acid out of the muscles.

Move from one circuit to the next after finishing the required reps of each. The drills are a mixture of wrestling and striking drills. The drills will involve pads and sandbags but fear not if you don’t have that equipment. Be creative, shadowbox, use pillows, and make your own sandbag. Partnering up for this would be good but again don’t worry if you have to train alone, the main thing is getting this done.

Warm up

Do 3 x 1-minute rounds of the following:

Jumping jacks
Reverse lunges
Ice skaters
Burpees
Inchworms
Duck Walks
Run-on the spot with punches

MMA Workout 1

5 x rounds (30 seconds rest each exercise. 90 seconds rest between Sets)

Jumping rope (50 times).
Single leg burpees (1 minute – 30 seconds each leg).
Shadowboxing (1 minute).
High & low jabs (Move around concentrate on speed and agility) (1 minute).

MMA Combo 1 – (2minutes).

First Combo – (Jab, Jab, Cross – a,b and c) (x5).
Second combo (Jab, Jab, Cross, Lead Hook – a, b, c and d) (x5).
Third combo – (Jab, Jab, Cross, Lead Hook, Knee- a, b, c, d and e) (x5).

MMA Combo 2 – (2minutes).

First Combo (Jab, Jab, Cross, Uppercut, Front kick) (x5).
Second combo – (Jab, Jab, Cross, Lead Hook) (x5).
Third combo– (Jab, Jab, Cross) (x5).

Dragon Walks (1 minute).
Medicine Ball Slam (1 minute).

Finisher: Freestyle on the heavy bag – Different combinations, move around the bag. Punch knee, elbow, kicks, keep moving, and don’t forget to dodge and weave incoming blows. (5 x 3minute rounds).

MMA Workout 2

5 x rounds (30 seconds rest each exercise. 90 seconds rest between Sets)

Jumping rope (x50).
Jab and kick drill (1 minute).
Power crosses: Alternate stances and rear hands. Use 90% power on the bag. Change stance. Sidestep around the bag. Throw another power cross with the opposite hand (repeat). (2 minutes).
Shadowboxing (1 minute).
Reverse burpees (1 minute).
Body uppercuts to the bag: Correct technique and speed (1 minute).
Core scissors (1 minute).
Medicine Ball Squat throws (1 minute).
Jab and elbow drill (1 minute).
Turkish Get ups’s (5 on each side).

Finisher: Jumping rope (200 times)

MMA Workout 3

4 x rounds (30 seconds rest each exercise. 90 seconds rest between Sets)

Jumping rope (50 times).
Shadowboxing with light weights – (1 minute).
Clinch knees to the bag (1 minute).

MMA Combo 1 – (2minutes).

First Combo Jab, Jab, Cross (x5).
Second combo Jab, Jab, Cross, Low kick (x5).
Third combo Jab, Jab, Cross, Low kick, Roundhouse kick (x5).

MMA Combo 2 – (2minutes).

First Combo Jab, Jab, Cross (x5).
Second combo Jab, Jab, Cross, Lead Hook (x5).
Third combo Jab, Jab, Cross, Lead Hook, Rear hook, Uppercut (x5).

Defensive and Footwork round– Move as if blocking or defending against an attacker. Dodge, slip, block, roll, weave, and counter. (1 minute).

Footwork Notes:

Side steps – take 10 sidesteps to your right and then to your left
Forward and back moving – Get into your fighter’s stance and take 10 steps forward and 10 back. Step with your front foot first when going forward and with your back foot first when going backward
Circle around an object – Circle around your opponent, take small steps. Change direction frequently and at random. Imagine using feints against your opponent.
Pivot – Pivot 90 degrees to the left and to the right.

Core Jackknife variation (TRX, Swiss ball, floor rags).
Archer Push-ups (as many as possible in 1 minute).

Finisher: Freestyle on the heavy bag.

MMA Workout 4 - Wrestling Drills

5 x rounds (30 seconds rest each exercise. 90 seconds rest between Sets)

Sprawl drills (run on the spot in the squat position for 5 seconds. Sprawl. Repeat as fast as you can) – 1 minute.
Bag clinch strikes (Grab the bag close and pound with punches, knees, and elbows) (1 minute).
Shoot drills (Shoot forward as if attempting a single leg takedown). Move around, change directions (1 minute).
Sandbag fireman carries and sprints. (25 yds each for 1 minute).
Sandbag alternate squats (alternate between squat variations for 1 minute).
MMA Ground and Pound (1 minute).
Sandbag Clean and press (for 1 minute).
Sandbag half get-ups (1 minute).
MMA Sit Outs (1 minute).

Finisher:

Sandbag dash – Carry sandbag 25 yds. Slam. 10 ground and pound punches. Sprint 25 metres and back. Repeat. 5 x 1-minute rounds.

Fitness and Conditioning

(3 days a week/every other day)

The fitness and conditioning are in standard circuit format. Move from one circuit to the next after finishing the required reps of each. Keep the rest short, 15 seconds between exercises and one minute between rounds.

Circuit 1 - Upper Body Workout

Clap push-ups (4×30 seconds).
Decline push-ups (4×30 seconds).
Triceps Dips (4×30 seconds)
Narrow push-ups (4×30 seconds).
Burpees (4 x30 seconds).
Bicycle crunches (4×30 seconds).
Dynamic Lunges (4×30 seconds).
Shoulder push-ups (4×30 seconds).
Sprints (2 x 100metres).
Suicide planks (4×30 seconds).
Ankle touchers (4×30 seconds).
Mountain climbers (4×30 seconds).

Do 45-sec x 4 sets of each exercise. For single-leg exercises, both sides = 1 rep: 15 seconds rest between exercises. 1-minute rest between rounds.

Finisher – 5 minutes of ‘Smash the Bag’ – Jog whilst carrying a sandbag on your shoulder for 25 metres, slam, 10X punches, sprint and back. Repeat.

Circuit 2 - Legs & Obliques Workout

Dynamic lunges (4×45 seconds).
Jumping squats and hold (4×45 seconds).
Slow skaters (4×45 seconds).
Side plank crunches: both sides (4×45 seconds).
Bicycle crunches (4×45 seconds).
High knees to Burpees (4×45 seconds. Five seconds run then burpee).
Alternating lunge and kick (4×45 seconds).
Shoulder tap push-ups (4×45 seconds).
Sprints (4×45 seconds).
Judo push-ups (4×45 seconds).
Side lunges (4×45 seconds).
Plyo box jumps (4×45 seconds).

Do 45-sec x 4 sets of each exercise. For single-leg exercises, both sides = 1 rep: 15 seconds rest between exercises. 1-minute rest between rounds.

Finisher – Freestyle on the Heavy bag.

Circuit 3 - Cardio and Core Workout

Oblique Mountain Climbers (4×45 seconds).
Sprints (4×45 seconds).
Sit-ups with punches (4×45 seconds).
Leg raises (4×45 seconds).
Push-ups (4×45 seconds).
Side plank crunches (4×45 seconds).
Medicine ball push-ups (4×45 seconds).
Bike crunches (4×45 seconds).
Single leg V Ups (4×45 seconds).
Russian twists (4×45 seconds).
Assault bike cardio – 1 minute – 30 seconds medium pace, medium resistance. 30 seconds fast pace, greater resistance.
Windscreen wipers (4×45 seconds).
Battle ropes – Fast waves (4×45 seconds).

Do 45-sec x 4 sets of each exercise. For single-leg exercises, both sides = 1 rep: 15 seconds rest between exercises. 1-minute rest between rounds.

Finisher – 5 minutes of ‘Smash the Bag’ – Jog whilst carrying a sandbag on your shoulder for 25 meters, slam, 10 x punches, sprint, and back. Repeat.

Circuit 4 - Resistance Workout Circuit

Undertake 4 rounds of 12/15 reps. Medium to Heavy weight. Use Barbells or Kettlebells. 15 seconds rest between exercise. 1-minute rest between rounds.