Francis Ngannou opened up about the UFC refusing to offer him a fight to finish his contract.
Ngannou’s departure from the UFC has been one of the messiest in promotional history. ‘The Predator’ has accused Dana White and company of underpaying him, lying to the public about their negotiations, and threatening his agent with lawsuits.
Although the former UFC heavyweight champion has moved on, he still reveals details when asked in interviews. During a recent appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Ngannou had this to say about the UFC preventing him from finishing his contract:
“We had an eight-fight deal and then I’m here asking for a fight to deliver. They are very happy to go out there all the time and say, ‘Oh, we give fighters three fights a year, we give this.’ At the time, I even had to save all the videos that Dana was saying like, ‘Oh we give those fighters three fights a year.’ I’m like this guy is joking, right? I’m here, I’ve been here for five or six months asking for a fight because I need money, I need to fulfill the contract, I need to make a living.”
Francis Ngannou continued by saying:
“My contract was exclusive, so I didn’t have any other revenue. They were holding me captive and then now they are trying to act like I want more money. I didn’t want more money. If it was about more money, I would’ve signed a contract because there was more money in those contracts and more and more and more by the time I was getting to the end.”
Earlier this month, Ngannou signed a massive deal with the Professional Fighters League. Along with a three-fight contract, the 36-year-old has been guaranteed seven figures per fight, named the Chairman of PFL Africa, given the freedom to pursue professional boxing, and more.
Francis Ngannou revealed how much the UFC paid him per fight
Francis Ngannou has consistently stated that he wanted freedom over money when negotiating his next contract. With that said, fighter pay was often mentioned in Ngannou’s departure from the UFC because of reports that he was underpaid.
During the same interview with Dan Le Batard, Ngannou was asked what he was being paid in the UFC. The former heavyweight champion responded by saying:
“$100, $120 [thousand”
Although Ngannou has signed with the PFL, he won’t return to MMA until next year. ‘The Predator’ is committed to pursuing professional boxing, which is supported by his new promotion. He is expected to make his boxing debut later this year before stepping into the PFL Smartcage in 2024.
