Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane is on the horizon at UFC 270. But that’s not the only battle Ngannou is going through.
The UFC Heavyweight Champion has made his problems with the UFC public. Ngannou is an outlier, holding the belt while also being on the last fight of his current contract. This can’t be said for most other UFC Champions.
Entering his first title defense while nearing the end of his contract is troublesome. We all know Ngannou and the UFC aren’t exactly on the best of terms with one another. Many believe ‘The Predator’ leave to find prey elsewhere.
Ngannou On His Meeting With Dana White
On the verge of what’s next for his career, the champ would actually run into UFC boss Dana White during the holiday season. Dana and Francis would have a quick chat over dinner back in December.
Ngannou’s feedback on the meeting? It went good. But there’s still problems that need to be addressed.
“At this point, I’m not upset. I’m kind of like chill about everything.” Ngannou told ESPN. “I went to [White] and greeted him. We wished each other happy holidays. And I tell him my frustration and expressed to him like how I would like to stay in the UFC. But I don’t feel like the UFC still wants me to stay. I don’t feel like I have a promoter anymore.
“I won a championship fight. The next thing that was coming on my way was like extend me [contractually]. I didn’t feel like I was promoted. I mean, maybe I’m wrong about that, but I didn’t see anything compared to what happened to different champions.”
Ngannou doesn’t believe he’s being treated fairly as other divisional kings inside the UFC. While he has the heavyweight throne and the title of ‘baddest man on the planet’, Ngannou doesn’t feel like he’s being promoted as much as he should be.
Current Contract
Then, there’s a matter of his current deal and whether he will sign a new one. This is a big question mark as UFC 270 fastly approaches. The result, whether it’s a win or a loss will play a big part for the champion. However, Ngannou isn’t going to settle for the deal he has now.
“No,” Ngannou said, when asked if he would keep fighting under the deal. “I will not fight for $500,000 [or] $600,000 anymore. It’s over.
“I took this fight for personal reasons, because I want to make sure that regardless of [whether] it’s fair, I can make my case that I have completed the fights.”
Potential Crossover Into Boxing
Even with a case being made at UFC 270, it is still unsure of what Ngannou’s next move will be. But, one thing is for sure. The Cameroonian powerhouse wants to take his talents to boxing. Another question is, if the UFC wants to be a part of Ngannou’s big dream.
“100 percent [I need to box],” Ngannou added. “We’ve been having discussions for years. It seems like they are OK with it. Let’s be honest, I do believe that whatever you are doing, whatever the event is… if the UFC is involved, it’s just going to make it bigger. There is no question. So, yes, if I box, I would like the UFC to be on-board.
“Honestly, the only reason we are here is that at some point, there wasn’t good faith in this. I don’t understand why we can’t come to an agreement.”
