“He Deserves the Bag”- Former Bitter Rival Backs Francis Ngannou to Pocket a Massive Payday Against Tyson Fury
Over the years, there have been many fighters that have come out against pay in the UFC. The most recent is probably the most high-profile fighter to have bashed the UFC for their compensation for athletes. ‘The Predator’ Francis Ngannou is the current UFC heavyweight champion of the world. Leading up to his last fight against Ciryl Gane, Ngannou was extremely vocal about his contract situation in the UFC and how it made him feel suffocated.
‘The Predator’ was able to overcome an extremely tough challenge in Gane and retained his belt and in the process, extended his contract by another year. As the negotiations as ongoing for a new contract, a key factor in Ngannou signing a new contract with the promotion is a clause that would allow him to compete outside the UFC. The champion has his eyes set on a boxing fight against Tyson Fury.
Ngannou’s former opponent came out in support of ‘The Predator’ in a recent interview. Curtis Blaydes said, “I thought it was dope. I really hope he gets the fight, man. He deserves the bag and I know if he goes into boxing, he’ll get the money and you know just happiness. Hey guys, you know, like expand outside of MMA and other avenues of income.”
Will we ever see Francis Ngannou fight in the UFC once again?
‘The Predator’ stated that multiple contract extension offers were presented to him, but he turned all of them down as wanted to fight out his current contract and be able to place his demands on the table.
Now that he is the champion, Ngannou has a lot of leverage when he negotiates with the UFC. Given that Francis Ngannou has held out so long to be able to get a contract he is happy with, it is extremely unlikely that the Ngannou will sign any contract that does not allow him to box.
Unfortunately for Ngannou, Dana White has been dismissive of the idea since day one. White pointed to his performance against Gane stating that he needed his wrestling to secure a win over Ciryl Gane and therefore there is no way he stands a chance against the best boxer in the world.
How do you see this playing out? Let us know in the comments below!
