After knocking out Stipe Miocic in March 2021, Francis Ngannou became the UFC heavyweight champion and a global superstar who could have welcomed Jon Jones to the heavyweight category.
From appearing in movies to podcast shows, Ngannou was the man of the spotlight and UFC was seemingly trying to offer him a multi-million-worth fight deal. His successful title defense against Ciryl Gane in January 2022 solidified the Cameroonian star’s position in the roster. However, things didn’t fall in place as ‘The Predator’ and UFC parted ways.
It was shocking to see Ngannou leave the UFC just when he was enjoying all the stardom. While Bare Knuckle and ONE Championship put on their offers to the table, Ngannou signed a lucrative deal with the PFL MMA.
PFL MMA offered equity stakes to the former UFC heavyweight champion, made him the head of PFL Africa, and also allowed him to compete in boxing matchups. While Francis Ngannou successfully bagged the biggest payday assurance of his career against Tyson Fury in boxing, his split with the UFC continues to concern MMA fans.
Why Exactly Did Francis Ngannou Leave Dana White’s UFC?
Dana White and Francis Ngannou have cited different reasons why they stopped working together. Per reports, Ngannou demanded health insurance for all the fighters and wanted the UFC to allow their fighters to pursue independent sponsorship deals.
UFC seemingly didn’t agree and Francis Ngannou didn’t hesitate to vacate his title and leave the company. Things became worse after Dana White snubbed Ngannou’s chances of appearing in the UFC ever again.
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Dana White reportedly offered Francis Ngannou a whopping $8 million to defend the heavyweight title against Jon Jones. When Ngannou ducked the offer, White became adamant about cutting off ‘The Predator’ from the UFC.
In a media appearance, the current UFC CEO said, “No. We negotiated with him for years. It’s over, that’s over. He’ll never be in the UFC again. … I never say never, but I’ll give you a never on that one. We tried.”
Francis Ngannou has made good fortune for himself and his recent signing with PFL MMA shall get him more financial gains. Meanwhile, the Tyson Fury Payday is also awaiting for him. So, we may never see the UFC and Ngannou join forces ever again.
