Michael Bisping is taking a closer look into the offer the UFC made to Francis Ngannou.
The biggest news in the MMA world right now is former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou walking away from the UFC to test free agency. Ngannou was unhappy with the UFC for a long time now and was asking for a new contract before his next fight, He had many demands that it seems could not be negotiated and he has chosen to seek opportunities elsewhere. Now many fans and analysts are looking into the specifics behind his reasoning, one included in this is Michael Bisping.
Bisping does not seem too on board with Ngannou’s decision. He took a look at what the former champion was set to make with the deal that was offered.
Michael Bisping says Francis Ngannou could have made himself 24 million dollars richer by taking the UFC’s deal
Ngannou was a guest on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to explain aspects of the new contract that was offered to him by the UFC. He said that they offered eight million dollars per fight for a three-fight deal. This was not what Ngannou was looking for and now he is a free agent. Bisping believes he should have taken the deal and then sought opportunities the next year. He spoke about this on his YouTube page.
“It’s not about money for Francis, it’s about the freedom because he wants to be his own man,” he said. “And I get that and I respect that. Of course, he doesn’t want to be controlled. But if you think the main reason for a man or a woman to step in a ring or an Octagon and put their life on the line and fight tooth and nail isn’t for money, you are out of your mind. That is the number one reason we do it. Yes, of course, there’s extracurriculars, there’s other circumstances, there’s other reasons and other things that you want. But if the money isn’t right, you ain’t gonna entertain any of it.”
Ngannou was a big advocate for fighter pay and benefits over the last year or so. He was vocal about the possibility of a fighters union and wanted the UFC to offer insurance and post-career benefits for all fighters. It might not have been only about the money for him, but in the end, no agreement was made. He also was interested in making a move to boxing, which he may be free to do now.
“It was a three-fight deal which again is not what the UFC generally do so I think they made a concession,” he said. “So it was a three-fight deal, eight million dollars per fight. That means if Francis Ngannou fought three fights in the year, obviously, not an easy thing to do, but it is more than possible. I have fought three fights. Many people have fought more, but as a heavyweight maybe you might get injured, but let’s just say hypothetical three fights. That means this time next year he is worth an extra $24 million and he would have been able to renegotiate with the UFC. But as I say journey down, he’s walked away because he feels he can do better elsewhere.”
Ngannou has been very dominant for most of his UFC career so far. He has enormous knockout power and has grown into a big name in the sport of MMA. He has also been interested in bouts with boxing champions including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He is looking to make some bigger money with these fights instead of just staying with the UFC.
