Is Ngannou right?

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou did not renew his contract and left the promotion.

How did that happen?

The UFC offered Ngannou the best terms in the history of the division. He’s the second fighter the promotion didn’t make a deal with

Francis Ngannou has been in the UFC since 2015 and has fought 14 fights in that time. In 2021 he became the heavyweight champion for the first time and defended the belt a year later. For 2023, Ngannou was seen as the main contender for Jon Jones, breaking a three-year hiatus.

After the welterweight division, Jones wanted to enter the heavyweight division and fight the champion right away. The two sides discussed a possible fight. “If it doesn’t take place in March, maybe in April or May,” Ngannou’s trainer Eric Nixick outlined the timing. UFC President Dana White contextualized: “We did everything we could to make this fight happen, but Ngannou got it into his head that there are more opportunities outside the UFC with weaker opponents.”

The UFC offered Ngannu a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in history. But he turned it down. Brock Lesnar, who ended his career in 2017, was the highest earner among heavyweights. White said Ngannou is the second fighter the UFC has not agreed to. The first was Fedor Emelianenko.

A lucrative fight against Jones did not motivate Ngannou to stay. That said, he got better terms than Emelianenko. Negotiations with Ngannou have taken place over the past two years: according to White, UFC executive director Hunter Campbell spent 350 dinners together discussing.

Ngannou talked about lawsuits from the UFC for contacting the blogger. White said he was influenced by his surroundings.

In January 2022, Ngannou defeated Cyril Gagne to defend his heavyweight belt. It was his first defense and his last fight under contract. After that, Ngannou discussed renewal terms with White, but did not reach an agreement. He said he didn’t think the new contract was fair and he didn’t think he was a free man.

Ngannou received $600,000 for his win over Gan. Kamaru Usman assessed his terms in the UFC: “Can Francis get more? Absolutely. Should he get more? There’s no doubt about it.” When blogger Jake Paul approached Dana White demanding better fighter contracts, Ngannou supported the suggestion:

“When he says we need to raise a fighter’s paycheck, I agree with him 1000%. Fighters are not protected. The fighters are on their own, nobody’s looking out for them. Sometimes I walk in the gym and see a fighter who just lost a fight and got injured. But he keeps training and waiting for it to heal, because he can’t afford to get treatment, knowing that he can only make a living by fighting”.

Before the fight with Gan, White talked about the influence of his surroundings on Ngannou. Ngannou himself said that at the time UFC management threatened him with legal action because his manager was in contact with the team of blogger Jake Paul. According to him, the promotion increases power and fighters become dependent:

“That’s what the UFC does best – control you. And when they see you’re up to something, they just make sure your money runs out. They know how much you make and how much you spend. For the last three years, I refused to re-sign my contract. So what happened? I got frozen out.

Ten to 12 months between each fight. Why? Because I refused to sign a contract. And now I was like, “Okay… Let’s wait.” They know you’re going to run out of money. At that point, I needed to do two or three fights a year to maintain the right standard of living. They know that.”