If Dana White wants to talk money, Francis Ngannou is more than willing to break out the receipts.
On Saturday, the former UFC heavyweight champion will make his long-awaited debut inside the PFL Smart Cage when the promotion heads to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the first of its Super Fights series of pay-per-views. In the main event, Ngannou will square off with the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner, Renan Ferreira.
‘Problema’ earned the opportunity to face Ngannou via a 21-second knockout against Bellator titleholder Ryan Bader in February.
Highlights of Francis Ngannou’s opponent Renan Ferreira. Bros got hands ngl😳 pic.twitter.com/lhuq8vczlF
— Yan (@GoatxPapi2x) October 11, 2024
Before his return to mixed martial arts, Ngannou made back-to-back appearances in the soccer ring, squaring off with former heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Though ‘The Predator’ came up short in both outings, he reportedly cleared a whopping $30 million for the two fights—a number Dana White seems to think is total bullsh*t.
White insists that the deal he offered Ngannou would have made him far more than what he earned in the sweet science.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Ngannou disputed White’s statement and made it clear that if the UFC CEO keeps running his mouth, he’ll gladly bust out the receipts and reveal the truth.
“If this continues, if he wants I can bring up all the numbers,” Ngannou said when asked about White’s comments. “I have all the numbers, I have all the receipts, I have all the numbers. No [I won’t bring them out right now]. Let’s keep [it at that] again.”
Francis responds to Dana White… 🗣️
"If he wants, I can bring out all the numbers. I have all the numbers."#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/OFpKMs6xxk
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 14, 2024
Ngannou added, “I don’t like to bring numbers up. But, if I need to, I will.”
Francis Ngannou Feels Like The Underdog Against Renan Ferreira
Going into his first MMA fight in nearly three years, Ngannou is a significant favorite with most sportsbooks listing him at -430, meaning a $430 bet on ‘The Predator’ would net you $100 in winnings. But Ngannou isn’t interested in the numbers. He isn’t even worried about his opponent’s name.
The only thing on his mind is Ferreira’s talent and Ngannou recognizes that he’s got a ton of it.
“We don’t fight a name, we fight talent. The name in that Octagon doesn’t matter, it’s useless,” Ngannou said. “And let me tell you something. This guy has talent. From all of my opponents, I think this is going to definitely be one of my toughest fights…his athleticism, look at his grappling. Black belt in grappling. His striking is high level, very well-rounded…when he strikes, you don’t even know that he can grapple [too]…
“He brings a lot of challenges because of his height, speed, everything. For me, as I’m taking it, I see this fight as the underdog. I feel like the underdog.”
Ferreira is 13-3 in his MMA career with 11 of his wins coming by way of knockout. Under the PFL banner, he is 7-1 with three no-contests.
Watch the full interview below:
