By the Numbers: Francis Ngannou

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Francis Ngannou’s first encounter with Curtis Blaydes was a war, and with their title aspirations on the line, these top heavyweights promise to deliver the same level of intensity when they meet for a second time at UFC Fight Night 141.

The highly anticipated rematch will take place at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing on Nov. 24. As Ngannou sets his mind for a strong finish, here are some of the numbers that have made him such a force at heavyweight.

22: Years old when he started training boxing despite the initial disapproval of his family. At 26, the Mike Tyson fan and Cameroon native moved to Paris, France to chase his professional boxing dream. But just like any would-be star, Ngannou did not have it easy at first.

27: Years old when he shifted his focus to MMA just a month before celebrating his 28th birthday. Ngannou received a scholarship to train for free under Didier Carmont, and needless to say, he stuck with it. A few months later, he entered his first professional MMA competition.

1: Round needed to finish Rachid Benzina in the France-based promotion, 100% Fight. Ngannou managed to pull off a straight armbar to end the bout at 1:44. He would fight three more times for the promotion, ending his stint with a 3-1 ledger.

44: Seconds was all he needed to submit Luc Ngeleka via standing guillotine choke in his very first fight outside of France. It happened in an event called Strength and Honor Championship 10 held in Geneva, Switzerland.

6: Fights before the UFC took notice. Ngannou went 5-1, with his only loss coming by way of unanimous decision at the hands of Zoumana Cisse.

2: Rounds of superior striking to beat Luis Henrique Barbosa de Oliveira in his Octagon debut. Leading 25-5 in significant strikes landed according to Fightmetric, Ngannou landed the cleanest punch of the night -- a vicious left uppercut that sent his opponent down the canvass, signaling the end of the bout at 2:53 of the second round.

36: Significant strikes as opposed to Curtis Blaydes’ 24 in their first bout, which happened at UFC Fight Night 86. It was a war from the moment the bell sounded until Ngannou forced a referee stoppage after round 2 because of Blaydes’ smashed eye socket.

4: Straight first-round finishes after his win over Blaydes. Ngannou scored early stoppages against Bojan Mihajlovic, Anthony Hamilton and top-level fighters Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem. What’s even more amazing is the fact that he finished all of them in under two minutes.

6: Straight victories inside the Octagon to earn a ticket to a championship showdown with Stipe Miocic. Unfortunately, Ngannou lost a one-sided decision.

32: Years of age. Ngannou was born on Sept. 5, 1986 in Batie, Cameroon. Indeed, he has come a long way since learning how to box in his home country and living homeless in the streets of Paris to become one of the top heavyweights in the world.