Many people have speculated about the nature of UFC contracts. Several fighters, too, have openly spoken about their contracts. One such fighter is Francis Ngannou. The heavyweight champion recently spoke about issues with his UFC deal.
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Years ago, Randy Couture, who was fighting a legal battle against the promotion, spent a substantial amount (almost $500,000) on the same.
In an interview with MMAFighting, Couture spoke about his previous issue with the promotion and also connected it with Ngannou’s situation. He called the contracts a ‘nightmare’ and also provided his opinions on what could happen if Ngannou decides to walk away.
Couture said, “If [Francis Ngannou] tries to walk away [from the UFC] and say the contract ended here, they’re gonna contest that. They’re gonna drag him into court, gonna force him to spend a bunch of money on lawyers and stuff that he’s not gonna want to do.”
“He’s gonna have to, at some point, really make a decision unfortunately: whether he wants to stop spending money on lawyers and legal issues and go back to doing what he loves to do which is fight. It’s a shame to be in that situation,” he added. (h/t MMA Fighting)
This isn’t the first time Couture has commented on fighters experiencing issues with their contract or the promotion itself. He had said something similar when Georges St-Pierre had declared himself as a free agent. Thus, he had tried to caution GSP.
Francis Ngannou will not sign a contract like the one he is currently on
After a smashing victory at UFC 270, there is still uncertainty surrounding Ngannou’s plans ahead. As of now, it looks like the champion’s contract will go on till the end of 2022.
However, ‘The Predator‘ has made it clear that he won’t sign the same contract again. He wants a boxing clause and way more money. Therefore, fans might have to wait and see what kind of negotiations the UFC and Ngannou can settle for.
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If the Cameroonian decides to further fight for the promotion, he would surely have some great opponents like Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis. A fight against Jon Jones would be a huge one.
It would be interesting to see what decision the promotion takes with regards to Ngannou.
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What do you think about Randy Couture’s comments on Ngannou’s current situation? Let us know in the comments below.