Legacy Under Fire: Francis Ngannou Accuses UFC of Historical Revisionism
Francis Ngannou has accused the UFC of trying to erase his image from the promotion's history. Ngannou raised a complaint on Twitter after the UFC Vegas 78 broadcast on Aug. 12 presented Tafon Nchukwi as the only Cameroonian fighter in UFC history.
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Ngannou was quick to point out that Nchukwi was in fact the third Cameroonian fighter in UFC history, behind himself and Thierry Sokoudjou:
"Thierry Sokoudjou was the first Cameroonian in the UFC. I was second. Don't let them lie and erase history."
An argument could be made in favor of the UFC that Ngannou represented France and that Sokoudjou fought out of California.
While it is indeed true, Nchukwi also trains out of California, yet he proudly represents Cameroon. The location where a fighter trains does not necessarily define their nationality. Illustrating this point further, Israel Adesanya proudly carries the flag of Nigeria, even though his training is centered in New Zealand.
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In fact, in Ngannou's UFC debut against Luis Henrique, the UFC broadcast team acknowledges his Cameroonian heritage just seconds into his walkout, and continue to make reference to his heritage throughout his UFC tenure.
Ngannou's frustration is understandable given his arduous past. Was this negligence on behalf of the UFC production team? Or was it something deeper, intended to besmirch Ngannou and taint his MMA legacy?
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