HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION FRANCIS NGANNOU LEAVES UFC PROMOTIONS

January 16, 2023

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Sports News

Francis Ngannou is no longer part of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), and so is the UFC Heavyweight champion.

UFC President Dana White revealed that the promotion has let go of Ngannou after it turned down an agreement that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight fighter in UFC history.

“We offered Ngannou a deal that would make him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time,” said White during a press conference on Saturday, Jan. 15.

“He turned it down. We’re going to release him from his contract. He can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants.”

The UFC top honcho said they had been in negotiations with the Cameroonian fighter for the past two years but could not find a middle ground with regard to the terms of the contract.

“We can’t continue to hold up the division to come to an agreement with this guy,” White added. “We did everything we could to make the fight happen and give him the fight. But he’s got it in his head that there are bigger opportunities outside the UFC with lesser opponents.”

Ngannou last stepped inside the cage against his former sparring partner Ciryl Gane in January 2022 where he emerged victorious via unanimous decision. However, he has been out of action since with a knee injury.

The former heavyweight champion was earlier set to do a mega bout against Jon Jones. But, with the vacant heavyweight title on the line, Jones will be taking on Gane in UFC 285 in Las Vegas on March 4.