Sean Sharaf credits his fearless style to sparring with Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou has a strong claim to being the baddest man on the planet.

‘The Predator’ by name and nature; talking his prey and unleashing heavy bombs has contributed to an over-94 % finish rate. So when Sean Sharaf goes toe-to-toe with Ngannou behind closed doors at Xtreme Couture, it’s impossible to be worried about the men he faces inside the octagon. Sharaf has taken that confidence into the cage and has achieved things he could only dream of.

Sean Sharaf is proof that if you bet on yourself, you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. Making it to the UFC was his dream. To be able to compete under the lights in the top promotion in the sport. But once that goal was completed, he wanted more. Not many people would have expected him to be lined up to fight Gable Steveson on the back of a two-fight skid. Even fewer would have fancied his chances. A 12-second knockout. History made. But for Sharaf, it wasn’t a surprise; he is used to being locked in the cage with world-class talent.

“I’ve sparred, like, you name it. Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping, Sean Strickland, Francis Ngannou, Rafael Dos Anjos. You know, like, Tito Ortiz,” Sharaf said. “All through my career, I’ve sparred the biggest, scariest dudes. OSP. You name them, I’ve sparred them.”

“That’s always given me confidence because whenever I walk out [to the octagon], I’m like, ‘Nobody’s scarier than Francis Ngannou.’ I’m not scared of nobody.”

Sharaf continued.

“That confidence, it comes a lot from who I’ve sparred and the experience I put in. But that was the thing I was talkinmg about with this fight. Everyone was giving him all the accolades. He’s this wrestler. He’s this Olympic champion. But you haven’t been through the fire. You haven’t been through those grueling years of sparring. Going home with black eyes, broken noses. That experience plays a factor.”