Brendan Schaub thinks Francis Ngannou had no chance of negotiating with the UFC by himself.
‘The Predator’ last fought in January 2021, securing his sixth consecutive win by defeating Ciryl Gane. In the aftermath of UFC 270, Ngannou had knee surgery, leaving him unable to fight in 2022. During his inactivity, the former UFC heavyweight champion was negotiating with the UFC for more money, which ended up going poorly.
Ngannou couldn’t come to an agreement with the UFC, and he was released from his contract. During a video on his YouTube channel, Schaub had this to say about ‘The Predator’ being a free agent:
“I’ll be completely transparent. As soon as I heard the news [about Francis Ngannou being released], it bummed me out. I want Francis in the UFC for a variety of reasons…
During the negotiation process, Ngannou decided to part ways with his management team. There is speculation about ‘The Predator’ representing himself, which has not been confirmed due to a lack of interviews done by the former UFC heavyweight champion. During the same YouTube video, Schaub had this to say about the 36-year-old potentially negotiating directly with the UFC:
“I’ve been in those negotiation rooms. I have two college degrees. Francis’ first language isn’t even English, and he has no business degree. I’m telling you, they will eat you alive in there. I’ve been in that room, I thought I could handle it. Trust me, of course it didn’t go well… They know every single angle you’re gonna come from, and they are ready, dude…”
Now that Ngannou is currently gone, the UFC heavyweight division needs a new champion. When Dana White announced the reigning heavyweight king was leaving, he also revealed that Jon Jones would fight Ciryl Gane for the vacant title at UFC 285 in March. Unless ‘The Predator’ changes his mind, this could be the start of a new era for the heavyweight division.
Brendan Schaub suggests the UFC is ‘banking on’ Jon Jones taking over the heavyweight division
The UFC thrives on leverage in negotiations. It isn’t easy to speculate on what the UFC wanted in the Francis Ngannou situation, but Brendan Schaub has taken a guess. Schaub believes the UFC wanted Ngannou, but they decided to gamble on Jon Jones when the negotiations fell through. He had this to say:
“The UFC is banking on Jon Jones beating Ciryl Gane, they’re banking on him beating Francis Ngannou, which I agree with them…”
Although it’s disappointing to hear Ngannou is a free agent, the show must go on. Jones and Ciryl Gane will go toe-to-toe for the vacant heavyweight championship, with several contenders nearing their own title shot. Stipe Miocic has called for the winner of ‘Bones’ and Gane, but it’s unclear if he will get the opportunity. Meanwhile, Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich are possibly one win away from fighting for the heavyweight crowd. The heavyweight division is suddenly wide-open.
Ciryl Gane will face Jon Jones for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 💪 pic.twitter.com/iWy2MKMUiM
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 15, 2023
