Fans may have seen the last of Francis Ngannou in the UFC. The Cameroonian Heavyweight last fought Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022. He is the Current Heavyweight Champion of the UFC and ranked #5 in pound-for-pound rankings. He, however, may have fought his last fight in the UFC. Reports have suggested that Francis Ngannou’s contract may have expired rendering him a free agent. Francis Ngannou has a career record that reads 17-3-0. He is also the first-ever Cameroonian Champion in the UFC.’The Predator’ has now hinted that he may be looking at a second career.
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Coming from a very humble background, Ngannou has achieved a lot with the UFC. A string of tweets, however, shows that he may already be a free agent. The Tweets have been posted by MMA reporter John Nash. It was being assumed that Ngannou’s contract ends in January 2023, but new findings suggest otherwise.
Francis Ngannou has completed his contract with the UFC
John Nash posted a string of tweets that have suggested that Francis Ngannou may be a free agent. John Nash tweeted,
I think Ngannou might already be a free agent. A quick thread. (i'll be using excerpts from other UFC contracts, all of which have the same text)
1/ Ngannou has says he's a free agent in December, that would be based on the effective date of his contract… pic.twitter.com/OT5j4tO5NZ
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
He further clarified the effective date of Ngannou’s contract and tweeted more details.
2/ The effective date is the date on the signature page. Based on all the interviews where Ngannou has mentioned being a free agent it sounds like the signed date was sometime in early December 2018. pic.twitter.com/NuRRKIPHbV
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
He further explained that the effective date of the contract is the date that the contract is signed.
Read More: “Freedom” or “Legacy”? UFC President Dana White Put Forward a Tough Choice for Francis Ngannou
In the pictures posted in the tweet, it’s clearly visible that the contract was signed in August 2018.
3/ the effective date (the date when it is signed) is the date the contract starts (commences) pic.twitter.com/RgtajqFdsf
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
Nash also explained the clauses for the extension of the agreement. He tweeted,
4/ A new provision put in every contract I've seen post 2017 states "the Agreement will not be extended pursuant to this Section 4 beyond the date which is five (5) years after the Effective Date of this Agreement." pic.twitter.com/fpKEEc1QAc
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
John Nash said that he had earlier speculated that the contract will end in January 2023. He, however, accepted that the speculations were based on faulty readings of the contract.
5/ 5 years after the date it was signed would be sometime in early December. I have said in the past that I thought the contract would end in January, but that's based on a faulty read of another contract, not the current standard. So Francis very well could be a free agent now.
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
With these new findings, Nash concluded that Francis Ngannou may be a free agent already.
6/ also the UFC contracts no longer includes an exclusive negotiating period (they still have a 12 month matching period.) So as soon as Ngannou's effective date has passed – which it might already have – he's free to talk to anyone.
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
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Dana White left the ball in Ngannou’s court
Talking to ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto, Dana White had earlier hinted that they were ready to let go of Francis Ngannou. Dana White had mentioned that Ngannou should finish his legacy in the UFC and also suggested that they were very close to the end of the legacy.
Watch This Story: Conor McGregor Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul celebrities flock in to react to Nate Diaz win at UFC 279
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Francis Ngannou had earlier voiced his dissatisfaction with the UFC for the contract, not giving enough freedom. Dana White, however, skillfully left it upon Ngannou by saying that he can be with the UFC completely or choose to explore other avenues.
What happens to Ngannou’s career will be interesting to watch. What do you think he should do?
