Francis Ngannou details about his financial struggles while still employed with the UFC.
In an organization that is known to have killers in any weight class, there was one man who trumped all. Joining the UFC in 2015, was heavyweight Francis “The Predator” Ngannou. Who worked his way up the ranks in the UFC with his insane knockout power and fight IQ. Ngannou was a deadly force in the UFC, finishing his first 6 out of 7 fights via knockout, and continuing to knock fighters down and get the win.
In 2021, at UFC 260, Ngannou got his first chance at the UFC heavyweight championship against former foe Stipe Miocic. This was a rematch, as they previously fought before at UFC 220, with Miocic winning via unanimous decision. When given his rematch for UFC gold, Ngannou gave it his all as he knocked out Miocic in the 2nd round. Crowning Ngannou as the new UFC heavyweight champion.
After a couple months, Ngannou defended his UFC championship to one of his old training partners, Cyril “Bon Gamin” Gane. In a 5 round war, this fight ended as a decision win for Ngannou. All looked promising for the Cameroonian fighter’s future, as a championship win should surely secure a contract extension. After months of negotiation with the UFC, a contract was never finalized with Ngannou to continue being with the UFC. As a surprise to many, the fight against Gane would unfortunately be the last time UFC fans saw Ngannou in the Octagon.
Francis Ngannou Shares Struggles in UFC, Despite Win Success
Since then, Ngannou is now with the MMA promotion of the PFL. However, has more recently been known for his boxing debut against heavyweight legend Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury. Where after 10 rounds, and Ngannou even knocking down Fury in the 3rd round, Fury won via split decision. This was only the beginning, as Ngannou impressed the boxing regulation enough to be ranked 10th in the heavyweight division. Ngannou is now booked to fight another legendary heavyweight in Anthony “AJ” Joshua for his second boxing fight. The future seems bright for the fighting future of Ngannou, although, this wasn’t always the case.
Ngannou recently was on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with former UFC champions Henry “Triple C” Cejudo and Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman. Ngannou sat down and talked about his financial struggles in the UFC, regardless of winning success. He also speaks on his move to boxing and the PFL and how he needed to be loyal to himself. Where he credits fellow African fighter Usman for helping him with a loan when he needed it.
Ngannou speaks on his money troubles before his championship fight against Gane. “I took $600,000 for my last fight in the UFC as opposed to $5 million that they were offering for the same fight. And I was broke. At the time I owed Usman $200,000. I was broke.”
“I wasn’t loyal to the dream, I was loyal to myself.” Ngannou continues to explain his thought process in moving on from the UFC. “I don’t change my direction and I think that’s what happened. Even after that fight, we get to a negotiation, they were pretty much capable to do a lot of concessions, but it wasn’t reaching my expectations, my goal, so we moved. I moved away.”
Quotes taken from MiddleEasy MMA News
Financially, Ngannou has made the right decision in being loyal to himself, as his next fight with Joshua will earn him an estimated $20,000,000.
Do you think Ngannou made the right decision to leave UFC to be loyal to himself? Let us know in the comments!
