Francis Ngannou has to side with Jake Paul when it comes to taking care of fighters.
The current UFC Heavyweight Champion doesn’t feel like he’s getting the best treatment when it comes to the UFC. It’s unknown whether Ngannou will stay inside the Octagon, as his problems with the promotion are no secret.
Ngannou Speaks On His Situation
‘The Predator’ is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 271. This would be the last fight of his contract and now he has to deal with an additional championship clause. Sidelined for quite a while with injuries, Ngannou reflects on his rocky relationship with the UFC.
“In the past two years, they claim to provide three fights for their fighters every year,” Ngannou said on his YouTube channel. “But in the past two years, I fought twice. I could at least fight five times. And knowing that I’m counting on that to make my living, that was kind of like, I felt like I was freezed to get financial pressure, to maybe come to an agreement from what they are saying, to need them. So that was something that I felt, and I don’t want to get in this position anymore.”
“In the past, when I wasn’t fighting, asking for fights, I had to beg for a fight. And the way that I was treated, I don’t want to deal with this type of situation anymore. It doesn’t matter what is on line. This has to change. I need to feel somebody, I need to get in a contract that holds both [sides] accountable for something. You have your own part of the contract to fulfill as well. I didn’t feel like it was a fair contract for me.”
What About Jake Paul?
Ngannou isn’t the only person voicing their concern regarding the UFC. ‘The Problem Child’ Jake Paul has pinpointed many problems including fighter pay and healthcare when it comes to the promotion. He even went as far as making a diss track towards UFC President Dana White about it.
We don’t expect the heavyweight champion to rap about his issues anytime soon, however it looks like Ngannou agrees with the influencer on certain topics of interest.
“I’m 100 percent with him for what [Paul] says,” Ngannou said. “Like when he claims he’s for fighter health care, I’m 100% down with that. When he says he’s for fighter pay increase, I’m 1000% down for that. Fighters are not protected. Fighters are all out there on their own, and nobody looks out for them.”
