Francis Ngannou leaves the UFC

 

( Image: Zuffa LLC)

 

When announcing a fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, UFC president Dana White said that Francis Ngannou has left the organization.

Jones gave up his light-heavyweight title over a pay dispute and hasn’t competed since defeating Dominick Reyes in February 2020.

He was supposed to compete against heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on March 4 at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.

 

The former champion, according to White, left the UFC despite being given a contract that would have made him “the highest-paid fighter in the history of the company”.

“He feels like he’s in a good position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money. We’re going to let him do that, release him from his contract and give up our right to match,” the 53-year-old added.

 

It’s important to note here that Ngannou’s departure from the UFC is unusual. He is now ranked sixth in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings and is the best heavyweight in the entire globe.

The Cameroonian and the UFC had disagreements at the beginning of his championship reign. The organization scheduled Gane to fight Derrick Lewis for the interim heavyweight title in August 2021 because the two parties were unable to agree on a time for his first title defense.

After Ngannou defeated Gane, things between him and the UFC only became worse. Ngannou said that he didn’t just want more money from the UFC; he also wanted better treatment. He wanted a deal that would let him pursue other opportunities, including a fight with heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in boxing.

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