‘I Don’t Want to Be Owned by Someone, I Want to Be Free’ – Francis Ngannou Slams UFC ‘Ownership’

Since the origin of the UFC, the heavyweight championship of the world has been a very coveted title. In a division of both skill & extreme power, Francis Ngannou has managed to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship and create an aura of invincibility. After his maiden title defense, ‘The Predator’ dominated headlines as he fought the last bout on his contract and had certain demands to sign an extension.

Three months after the fight, Ngannou explained why he opted to fight out his contract rather than sit out. The Cameroonian fighter said, “When you are negotiating a contract while you staying in a contract, technically, you are not negotiating…You have 3 fights left in your contract, 1 or 2 years, they have a right to extend it for maybe 2 more years. You are not negotiating anything because whether you say yes or no, you gonna fight…“

He further said, “In this situation, it takes a lot to say no to the money because none of us is getting that much money. It’s very hard for a fighter on this day to say no to a contract if they know it’s not good for them. They have 2 or 3 fights left, or 18 months left.”

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“There is a possibility that they can extend it with no explanation, no real reason, and they cannot contest that… When you kind of think about those stuff, you be like this contract is messed up. This is not a contract. This is ownership. I don’t want to be owned by someone. I just want to be free.”

Fighter pay has been a major issue in the UFC and a lot of fighters over the years have complained about their contract and their purses. Francis Ngannou seems to be at the forefront of this campaign and he might follow in Conor McGregor‘s footsteps and test himself in the boxing ring.

Tyson Fury beat Dillian Whyte and invited Francis Ngannou to the ring

‘The Predator’ has always been vocal about his love for boxing. When Francis Ngannou was living a tough life in Cameroon, it was boxing that first attracted him to combat sports.

It was in Paris where Ngannou met his first and former coach, Fernand Lopez. Originally, ‘The Predator’ wanted to pursue boxing, but it was Lopez who pushed him towards a career in MMA.

After having a very successful MMA career, Ngannou has been interested in testing the deep waters of boxing. ‘The Gypsy King‘ has been eager to fight ‘The Predator’ and even teased this bout. After he defended his WBC belt against Dillian Whyte, the boxing champion invited the UFC champion to the ring.

A fight between Tyson Fury and Ngannou will be very exciting to see, as fans will get a mix of both the boxing and MMA worlds. Apart from that, if this fight happens, it will also settle the claim of who the ‘Baddest Man’ on the planet is.

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Whether in the octagon or the ring, Francis Ngannou’s future is something to watch out for. What did you make of his comments?