MMA: Tafon Nchukwi, Ambassador of Northwest Cameroon to the UFC
Tafon Nchukwi (left).
Zuffa LLC - Chris Unger / DWCS LLC
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
5 mins
Tafon Nchukwi makes his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut, the most prestigious mixed martial arts (MMA) league, on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas.
The native of Bamenda, who migrated to the United States during his childhood, hopes to wear the colors of Africa there, especially those of North-West Cameroon.
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On September 8, 2020, Tafon Nchukwi achieved the feat of making Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), scream in amazement.
The all-powerful boss of the UFC has yet seen thunderous knockouts in mixed martial arts (MMA) for thirty years.
But the kick to the head that the Cameroonian gave Al Matavao during the Dana White's Contender Series (a scout tournament) offered him a contract with the most prestigious
MMA
league
in the world and created a buzz.
"
I do not feel any pressure
, yet ensures the person concerned before his first fight in the UFC, scheduled for December 19 in Las Vegas against the American Jamie Pickett.
Being there is why I worked for six years.
I'm super excited to show off what I can do
”.
The kick that made Tafon Nchukwi famous
This is one light heavyweight you DON'T want to miss.
🇨🇲 @TafonDaDon makes his UFC debut this weekend!
[# UFCVegas17 |
LIVE Saturday on #ESPNPlus] pic.twitter.com/b4zCIBTDpg
- UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2020
Lightning ascension
Yet here he is in the elite of MMA at only 26 years old and after four small professional fights in total.
A rapid rise that the Cameroonian explains in part by his victory in November 2019 against the promising William Knight "
He was already on the radar of the UFC
, he slips.
When I beat him, I shined the spotlight on me
”.
However, nothing seemed to predestine the native of Bamenda to break into this discipline.
“
I played American football, football and many other sports…
” he recalls.
But no fight, however.
During his graduate studies, Tafon Nchukwi discovered MMA in a gym.
Conquered by this discipline, he left the university to get down to it.
He then saw odd jobs, as an Uber driver or a security guard.
“
At first, my family was not really happy
, says the fighter.
But with time passing and victories following one another, they have become real supporters
”.
Arrived as a child in the United States
Tafon Nchukwi, his mother and his brothers left Cameroon for the United States when he was 10 years old.
“
The main reason, like many people, was to have better opportunities,
” he explains.
If the cultural gap was important when he arrived, the fact of speaking English was, on the other hand, a serious asset in adapting perfectly to the “American way of life”.
This does not prevent him from keeping a connection with his native land.
“
You always have to remember where you come from
,” he says.
I was born in Cameroon and I will always be proud to represent my roots
”.
Separatist flag
Tafon Nchukwi feels very involved about
the serious crisis which shakes the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon
.
He calls, in his own way, for the settlement of the conflict in the English-speaking part of the country.
Before and after his fights, he flies the separatist banner of the self-proclaimed virtual Republic of Ambazonia.
“
I try to play a role and highlight what's going on there
,” he explains.
I will continue to carry this flag, hoping that it will draw more attention to the situation there
”.
But when the media present him as the second Cameroonian in the UFC after superstar
Francis Ngannou
, Tafon Nchukwi ensures that it does not "
bother him at all
".
African representative
Tafon Nchukwi has not yet had the chance to meet Francis Ngannou.
He also knows relatively little of the other Africans in the UFC, aside from his Nigerian teammate
Sodiq Yusuff
.
But, like them, he wants to make African MMA shine in the UFC.
"
I hope to be able to defend this cause
", he concludes before attacking a division of the middleweight which also counts in its ranks the Nigerian champion Israel Adesanya, the Moroccan Abu Azaitar, the South African Dricus du Plessis, thus as the Congolese
Dalcha Lungiambula
and Impa Kasanganay.
Tafon Nchukwi, flag of the self-proclaimed Virtual Republic of Ambazonia on the shoulders.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tafon Nchukwi (@tafon_da_don)
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