“I Should Not Be Needed To Borrow Money For My Training Camp” – Francis Ngannou Threatens To Leave UFC and Go To Boxing

The reigning, defending UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has hinted at a switch to boxing in the future.

Ngannou made the claim in a recent interview said that boxing is something he will make the switch from MMA to boxing for sure. Francis made the claim after Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder got heavily compensated for their fight. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Fury and Wilder both had a guaranteed purse of five million dollars. After everything was taken into account, Fury took home around $30 million and Wilder earned close to $20 million from the trilogy fight.

Ngannou in the interview said, “Honestly, that’s not a feeling that I have. I don’t know, I might be wrong, but I don’t feel that because in my opinion, right now, from what I’m seeing, the UFC tried to discredit me. That’s what I know. Those who promote somebody can not work together with discrediting him. You don’t do that to somebody that you want to promote.”

‘The Predator’ continued, “Well, it (MMA) is more difficult. I feel I should not be needing to borrow money for my training camp. At some point, I’m gonna go after those money. I’m gonna go to that boxing, that’s for sure.” 

However, Francis said that he wants to be in the UFC. According to him, the UFC is a ‘beautiful and nice promotion’, but the behind-the-scenes part is challenging.

This is not the first time the fighter pay issue has been raised in the UFC. Jon Jones backed out of a fight against Francis Ngannou because of the money. Jorge Masvidal is also one fighter to have raised the fighter pay issue. The YouTuber turned boxer, Jake Paul, has criticized UFC President Dana White several times on the same issue.

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Francis Ngannou takes on Ciryl Gane next

Francis Ngannou will enter the octagon on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270, to defend his title against Ciryl Gane. Gane is the current interim UFC heavyweight champion. He won the belt against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 via TKO in the third round.

‘The Predator’ will enter the cage for the first time since beating Stipe Miocic for the title at UFC 260 in March 2021. He won the fight via a second-round knockout. Ngannou has a 16-3 record and is on a five-fight win streak. He will look to keep the streak going. Francis has managed to stop the fight in every one of his wins, having won 12 fights by knockout and four via submission.

Gane, on the other hand, is undefeated in his MMA career. He has a 10-0 record and will be a tough test for the UFC heavyweight champion. Ciryl is a well-rounded fighter and is very light on his feet. He can definitely pose a threat to Ngannou and the champion will look to use his power to finish the fight early.

What do you make of Ngannou’s comments on switching to boxing? Let us know your thoughts!

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