Francis Ngannou has his mind made up on his fighting future.
The UFC heavyweight division is moving along without arguably the best fighter in the heavyweight division. Francis Ngannou decide to part ways with the UFC earlier this year after months of failed negotiations. Ngannou was vocal about wanting better pay for all fighters including himself and wanting the opportunity to pursue fights in the boxing ring. The UFC was not willing to give him that and so he left. Since his departure, a new champion has been crowned, Jon Jones. Jones vs. Ngannou would have been a fight that the fans want to see but now it will not be happening.
Dana White has explained that Nagnnou will never be welcomed back to the UFC. At this time it does not seem to matter much to Ngannou, who has spoken about other opportunities in the works.
Francis Ngannou is close to signing with a new MMA promotion
There have of course been many organizations interested in Ngannou since he became a free agent. Bellator was interested and felt they could offer him a unique opportunity. Bellator has a deal with Showtime boxing and the bigwigs over there have been in contact with Nagnnou. Ngannou is happy with his decision to leave the UFC and feels like he is the winner no matter what happened next.
“I’m having the best year of my life. Getting better stuff. I’m happy. I have what I wanted, I have my freedom, I can speak for myself, I’m a free man, I can do what I want,” he said on The MMA Hour. “I can make a deal with whoever I want. I can move forward in whatever I want whether it’s boxing or MMA. That is what I wanted and I didn’t back down my position no matter what.”
Ngannou has stated that he wants a big-named boxing match next. He has targeted Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua to name a few. He also wants to return to MMA and is now explaining that he is close to signing a deal with a new promotion.
“Boxing first. Then after that, I will fight in MMA. I can sign with one MMA promotion. I haven’t made a decision on that yet. Very close,” he said. “It’s not like I’ve been sitting out here empty-handed, I’ve been very busy. PFL and ONE FC that we are very close. We will see.”
Ngannou has mentioned that he is still in talks to make his boxing debut but thinks that perhaps a fight against Deontay Wilder could be the right fit. He says that the fight is closer than with anyone else.
