Benson Henderson weighs in on Francis Ngannou’s contract dispute with the UFC

Former lightweight champion Benson Henderson has shared his thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s contract dispute with the UFC.

Despite cementing his status as the “baddest man on the planet” at last weekend’s UFC 270 event, Ngannou’s future with the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion remains up in the air.

Prior to defeating Ciryl Gane last Saturday night in Anaheim, ‘The Predator’ had made it clear that he had no intentions of fighting again on his current UFC deal. Ngannou cited poor pay and Dana White’s unwillingness to negotiate as the reasons for his frustration.

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson recently shared his thoughts on the feud between Francis Ngannou and the Ultimate Fighting Championship during a interview with MMAFighting.

“I think it’s smart for Francis to do it,” Henderson said. “Certain people allow certain things to happen to them and they’re either okay with it, or not okay with it. It’s up to each person individually what you’re okay with accepting.

Benson Henderson continued:

“Ngannou is not accepting this, he’s not accepting that, and I think it’s on him. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. I think it’s good. I think he needs to stand up for what he believes, for what he’s willing to accept, and for the amount of respect that he’s due. A lot of that respect comes down to money to him, and the UFC can show him that kind of respect, no problem. It would not be a big burden, ‘Oh, we’ve got to pay Ngannou. What does he want? $5 million? Oh no, we don’t have that kind of money.’ They’ve got that kind of money. So, yeah, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. It’s a good thing for him to go after what he wants.”

Benson Henderson is set to return to the cage in the co-headliner of tonight’s Bellator 273 event opposite fellow lightweight standout Islam Mamedov.