Francis Ngannou is still looking for a place to hang his hat after cutting ties with the UFC in January.
After nearly two years of very public contract negotiations with the Las Vegas-based promotion, Ngannou parted ways with the UFC. Walking away from a deal that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the promotion’s 30-year history, ‘The Predator’ opted to bet on himself.
There have been plenty of suitors willing to give Francis Ngannou a home, but according to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship founder Dave Feldman, ‘The Predator’ may be shooting himself in the foot with unrealistic expectations.
“Francis Ngannou, he’s somebody we’ve certainly reached out to,” Feldman said at the BKFC 41 pre-fight press conference on Tuesday. “We’ve reached out to him, we’ve reached out to his team, and we just feel like he’s asking for unrealistic money, and we’re not willing to pay that kind of money for him.
“I do think he needs to make his mind up pretty soon,” he concluded. “As the days go on, his value is starting to drop a little bit.”
The head of BKFC thinks Francis Ngannou is asking for too much money to fight pic.twitter.com/QQfFxO6T6H
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) April 5, 2023
Francis Ngannou Narrows Down His Search
BKFC isn’t the only promotion that has openly expressed interest in bringing the former UFC heavyweight champion on board. Bellator CEO Scott Coker previously commented on having communication with Ngannou but cast doubt on the potential signing. Ngannou revealed during an appearance on The MMA Hour that he would likely end up with either the PFL or Asia-based organization ONE Championship, but not before he hopes to cash in on a professional boxing appearance.
The bare-knuckle fight group has been very successful in signing former UFC standouts in recent years. The promotion signed ‘Platinum’ Mikey Perry in late 2021 and he quickly became the promotion’s top star, competing in a crossover bout with Bellator’s Michael ‘Venom’ Page. On April 29, BKFC 41 will feature former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold making their promotional debut.
Francis Ngannou is rumored to be asking upwards of $30 million for his debut in the squared circle. We can only imagine what he’s trying to bank for a multi-fight deal.
