Home/UFC

via Getty

via Getty

Just when Francis Ngannou started traversing his path to superstardom, his march dealt an enormous blow. The UFC has snubbed him and has moved forward with an interim heavyweight title clash between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane.

It was a shocker of a moment for the reigning champion and as well as the MMA community. Ngannou had promised to be an active champion (unlike Miocic and Cormier before him). He had beaten Miocic for the title just over 3 months ago.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

According to reports, the UFC wanted their heavyweight champion to defend his crown as early as in June or in August. But Ngannou had made it clear he won’t be ready by September. This may have prompted the management to seek other alternatives.

‘The Predator’ and his team expressed evident astonishment at the decision. Ngannou took to Twitter and showed his disappointment and frustration.

Later, he retweeted a tweet from ace journalist Ariel Helwani. The latter threw some shades on atypical behavior by UFC to Ngannou. The latter had tweeted, “Between June 2019 and March 2021 Ngannou fought once… for a combined 20 seconds.

“Couldn’t sniff an IC title shot. And now three months after he wins, and seems to be on the cusp of superstardom, he has to see an IC title fight made. Doesn’t seem right.”

Ngannou in his retweet wrote, “Nothing has been right here.”

It’s a notable fact that UFC president Dana White has been keen on placing Lewis in a title fight for a while now. ‘The Black Beast’ has been a dominant force with 4 consecutive victories.

Gane, meanwhile, is the undefeated heavyweight who has picked up 2 consecutive main event victories. So, the management thought this to be the best option for now.

READ MORE: Will Fans Attend the UFC 264 Event?

Dana White responds to Francis Ngannou and his team

If there is anything that is constant with time, it’s White‘s straightforward and non-mincing assessment of a particular situation. He never shies away to have a go against the things he doesn’t like.

Immediately after Ngannou‘s team showed their shock over his decision to place an interim title clash, White responded to them.

The team wrote, “This comes as a complete shock. To make an interim title so soon, if you look at the history of this division, it comes as a surprise. We hope to get clarity and figure out something with the UFC soon.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

White, in his response, said, “This dude is SO FULL OF S**T! He knows EXACTLY what’s going on and isn’t “shocked” at all. Because we told him several times this was coming. His management is incompetent and hopefully, Francis starts taking a look at new people to help his career”

WATCH THIS STORY: 5 unknown facts about UFC president Dana White

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

It’s still the early days of this saga and we could get more of this in the coming days. However, the decision has been made, and as things stand, it’s Lewis vs Gane for the interim title.

Do you agree with Ngannou?