The rumors were true all along! The MMA world had been speculating on the next step of Heavyweight prodigy Francis Ngannou. Many hoped to see him fight Jon Jones and some wanted him to box Tyson Fury. Now it seems like he is going his own way for the time being.
The entire issue began after Francis won the title from Stipe Miocic on UFC 260. Leading up to this fight, Francis wasn’t super vocal about his payment and contractual terms. But as soon as he won the title, his attitude changed and he began complaining about the payment he received and the terms of his contract.
The situation only got worse with time as Tyson Fury offered to fight the Cameroonian fighter. Ngannou wanted to compete in boxing without getting out of his UFC contract. But, Dana had bad memories from the McGregor venture against Floyd, and monetary issues were also rumored to be involved.
Francis went through a long recovery period after his fight against Cyril Gane in January 2022. Fans were speculating he to come back against Jon ‘Bones’ Jones for one of the biggest MMA bouts ever. Ngannou himself shared a photo on new year’s eve that featured one of his family members wearing a PFL t-shirt.
What did Dana White say about the Francis Ngannou release?
Dana talked about the Heavyweight champ’s departure, “We offered a deal to Francis that would’ve made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company, more than Brock Lesnar, more than everybody. And he turned the deal down. We’re going to release him from his contract, give up our right to match.”
He shared his speculations mentioning, “He can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants. I think Francis is at a place right now, where he doesn’t want to take a risk. He feels like he can fight lesser opponents and make more money. The guy weighs over 300lb, just had knee surgery, and hasn’t had a real training camp. I think that probably has a lot to do with it.”
Where do you want to see ‘The Predator’ fight next?
