Francis Ngannou News
Francis Ngannou echoes Luke Rockhold's fighter pay complaints: "Fighters are ripped off"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Francis Ngannou agrees with Luke Rockhold that fighters need to be paid more. Ngannou has been vocal about his displeasure with his UFC contract and it has been reported that he has just one fight left on his current deal. He has been disappointed with the promotion’s pay, as well as their refusal to let him take boxing fights.
Francis Ngannou praises Mohammed Usman following his knockout victory to win TUF 30: “A new contender was born in the heavyweight division”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 7, 2022
UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou is heaping praise on the latest Ultimate Fighter winner Mohammed Usman. On the main card of UFC Vegas 59, Usman went one-on-one with Zac Pauga to determine the TUF 30 heavyweight winner. Usman ended up knocking Pauga out cold in the second round to lay claim to the label of TUF champion.
Jon Jones responds after Francis Ngannou comes to the defense of Israel Adesanya: “I could takeoff two more years and you guys work combined won’t match what I’ve done in that octagon”
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2022
Jon Jones has ripped Francis Ngannou after the heavyweight champion defended Israel Adesanya following his UFC 276 performance. In the main event of UFC 276, Adesanya beat Jared Cannonier by decision in a lackluster fight, and after the event, Jones took a shot at the middleweight champ.
Michael Bisping advises Jon Jones to wait for Francis Ngannou instead of fighting Stipe Miocic: “Let's be honest. Stipe is the greatest heavyweight of all time”
Harry Kettle - June 30, 2022
Michael Bisping has explained why he thinks Jon Jones should consider waiting for Francis Ngannou instead of jumping into a fight with Stipe Miocic. After Dana White confirmed that Jon Jones is ready to return to the Octagon, many fans have been waiting for a confirmed return date and opponent for the light heavyweight GOAT. Unfortunately, that has yet to come to fruition, leading many to wonder what the hold-up is – as Stipe Miocic seems like the clear choice for his first fight back.
Francis Ngannou provides injury update, says he could make his UFC return in December
Harry Kettle - June 27, 2022
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has revealed that he could return to the Octagon by the end of the year. Back in January, Francis Ngannou surprised a lot of fans by using his newly-found wrestling skills to defeat Ciryl Gane and unify the UFC heavyweight championship. However, it didn’t take long for Ngannou to reveal that he’d been dealing with a knee injury that was likely going to lead to surgery.
Dana White on the current status of negotiations with Francis Ngannou: “There’s no lost cause”
Susan Cox - June 8, 2022
Dana White is speaking out about the current status of negotiations with Francis Ngannou. White, while speaking about the upcoming UFC 275 event in Singapore this Saturday, June 11th, took some time to discuss Francis Ngannou.
Francis Ngannou claims he is just getting started in the fight game: “I have at least 5 more years to conquer everything”
Harry Kettle - June 8, 2022
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou believes he has at least five more years left in the fight game. In the immediate aftermath of his win over Ciryl Gane back at UFC 270, it became apparent that a knee injury would force Francis Ngannou out of action for quite some time. Following his surgery earlier this year, ‘The Predator’ has been on the road to recovery as his rehabilitation continues in Las Vegas.
Michel Pereira details hotel confrontation with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou: “Honestly, Ngannou made me angry”
Susan Cox - May 27, 2022
Michel Pereira has detailed the hotel confrontation he had with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. It was Michel Pereira (28-11 MMA) vs Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-6 MMA) in the welterweight co-main UFC Vegas 55 event on Saturday May 21, 2022. Pereira came out the victor via split decision, taking his record to 5 wins in a row.
Dana White shuts down potential Francis Ngannou-Tyson Fury fight: "F**king waste of time, energy, and money"
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2022
Dana White isn’t too interested in making a fight between Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury. Ngannou has talked about boxing for months now and that only increased after Fury knocked out Dillian Whyte and brought the UFC champ in the ring to hype up a potential fight. However, in order for such a fight to come to fruition, ‘The Predator’ would need the UFC’s blessing and it doesn’t appear Dana White is willing to provide that.
Sean O’Malley believes Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury botched their in-ring confrontation: “At least fake it”
Harry Kettle - April 28, 2022
UFC star Sean O’Malley believes Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury could’ve done more with their in-ring confrontation. Last Saturday night, Tyson Fury knocked Dillian Whyte out in the sixth round of their Wembley showdown. In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Fury welcomed UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou into the ring in order to promote a potential crossover fight between them in the future.
Chael Sonnen casts doubt on Francis Ngannou’s ability to become a free agent: “There for sure is a non-negotiation clause”
Susan Cox - April 27, 2022
Chael Sonnen is weighing in on Francis Ngannou’s contract with the UFC and his subsequent ability to become a free agent. Ngannou, (17-3 MMA), the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, has had an ongoing contract dispute with Dana White & Co.
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou will "do bigger business than Mayweather vs. McGregor", says promoter
Cole Shelton - April 26, 2022
Bob Arum has all the confidence in the world that Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou would be a massive fight. After Fury knocked out Dillian Whyte he brought Francis Ngannou into the ring as both men have shown interest in making a fight happen. There’s no question it would be a spectacle and for Arum – who is the promoter of Fury – he thinks it would be bigger than Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor.
Chael Sonnen believes Dana White likely felt “betrayed” by Francis Ngannou stepping in the ring with Tyson Fury
Harry Kettle - April 26, 2022
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen believes Dana White may have felt betrayed by Francis Ngannou appearing in the ring with Tyson Fury on Saturday night. Over the weekend, one of the biggest combat sports events of the year went down at Wembley Stadium in London, England. A crowd of over 94,000 people were in attendance to see Tyson Fury defend The Ring and WBC heavyweight titles against Dillian Whyte and in the end, ‘The Gypsy King’ made it look easy before securing a sixth-round knockout win over his rival.
Francis Ngannou confirms re-signing with UFC is a possibility, but not without Tyson Fury fight: "It's not an option"
Josh Evanoff - April 25, 2022
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has left the door open to return to the promotion. However, it’s not without a price. ‘The Predator’ was last seen in action at UFC 270 in January of this year. Ngannou captured a unanimous decision victory over his former training partner Ciryl Gane, retaining his title. Following the bout, he confirmed that he was unlikely to return to the UFC.
Tyson Fury shoots down fighting the winner of Usyk-Joshua 2, expresses interest in exhibition bout with Francis Ngannou
Chris Taylor - April 23, 2022
Tyson Fury has no desire of fighting the winner of Usyk-Joshua 2, but has instead expressed interest in a exhibition bout with Francis Ngannou. Fury (32-0-1 Boxing) successfully defended his WBC and The Ring Heavyweight Titles earlier this afternoon in London, scoring a sixth round TKO victory over Dillian Whyte (see that here).
Mike Tyson scoffs at Francis Ngannou’s latest UFC fight purse: “That’d be my training expenses”
Harry Kettle - April 7, 2022
Boxing legend Mike Tyson wasn’t impressed upon hearing the fight purse Francis Ngannou received for his UFC 270 win. While a recent knee surgery may keep Francis Ngannou out of action for the rest of the year, there’s every chance he’d still be sitting on the sideline even if he was perfectly healthy.
ONE's Chatri Sityodtong discusses possible Francis Ngannou signing: "He's just not a complete fighter"
Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2022
It seems that Chatri Sityodtong isn’t very interested in signing Francis Ngannou to ONE Championship. The UFC heavyweight champion is currently set to be a free agent at the beginning of 2023. His high-profile feud with Dana White and the UFC has made it a foregone conclusion that ‘The Predator’ will soon be gone from the promotion next year. The UFC president has gone as far as stating that they’re already looking at options for an interim title bout next.
Dana White confirms UFC heavyweight interim title "probably" on the way with Francis Ngannou out
Josh Evanoff - March 18, 2022
With Francis Ngannou on the sidelines, the UFC’s heavyweight division seems primed for an interim champion. ‘The Predator’ is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Following the victory, it was revealed that Ngannou was suffering from a torn MCL and would be forced to undergo surgery. Alongside the injury, the UFC’s heavyweight champion has publicly pondered leaving the promotion to pursue boxing.