Francis Ngannou says re-signing with UFC without possibility of boxing Tyson Fury is ‘not an option’

Francis Ngannou is holding firm on his UFC contract demands.

In January, Ngannou successfully defended his UFC heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. After the fight, Ngannou said he had serious issues with the UFC, namely the way they treated him as a champion. Recently though, Ngannou revealed that since he aired his grievances with the UFC, some senior officials have made an effort to resolve their differences.

“Right after we spoke, we had a meeting, dinner with the UFC and it wasn’t about the contract situation, it was just to clear the air, because clearly at At this point we had to clear the air,” Ngannou told Ariel Helwani MMA hour. “It was just to try to put things across. We talked, I talked about my frustration, but also I had to go home because it’s not something that can be fixed overnight or in one or two dinners. I think it might take some time.

“I [also] had dinner with Hunter [Campbell] a week ago and it was great. Friendly dinner, no business involved. But as far as business is concerned, we haven’t really evolved. I think just now what we’re trying to do is clear the air.

But despite working on it, Ngannou seemed unsure whether his differences with the UFC could be resolved or not, saying “there’s a lot of work to do here” but admitting the issues they face are entirely business-related, not personal.

“Dana White was in the first one,” Ngannou said. “It went well because it was just personal and had nothing to do with business, and personally I have nothing against anyone. My problem is on the business side, which is not going well. I want the best for me, as far as business is concerned, so I think we can have the best personal relationship, but we also have to work on the business relationship.

Although Ngannou has previously noted several issues with the UFC, including compensation and promotion, the biggest issue that seems to be standing in the way of their continued relationship is the specter of professional boxing. Ngannou has repeatedly said he wants the opportunity to box heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who seems equally interested. In fact, last weekend, Ngannou was seated at ringside for Fury’s fight against Dillian Whyte, and after Fury defended his heavyweight titles, “The Gypsy King” waved Ngannou to the ring. where the two essentially cut a promo for the proposed superfight. And with that in mind, Ngannou triples his previous statements that there is no scenario where he re-signs with the UFC unless they also allow him to pursue boxing.

“The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion,” Ngannou said. “It’s not an option. It has to be part of the discussion, because if it’s not part of the discussion now, it never will be. If I sign another contract now, and basically the same model contract , I’m screwed. It never happens. So we have to find a way to implement that in a contract.

The UFC has made that exception before, allowing Conor McGregor to mentor Floyd Mayweather in one of the biggest superfights in history, but so far the promotion has seemed cool about doing it for Ngannou. In this case though, with Ngannou’s contract and free agency looming, the heavyweight champion can simply wait out the UFC and then continue the matchup with Fury next year, without the UFC having to deal with it. get any part of it. In fact, many have suggested that’s exactly what Ngannou should do in order to maximize his salary for the fight, however, the heavyweight champion says he wants to re-sign with the UFC because even if he wants to box, he still has great fights left in the organization which he wants to pursue as well.

“I think the UFC is a great promotion and I want to keep fighting,” Ngannou said. “Tyson Fury is not my last fight. I want to keep fighting after Tyson Fury. There are still a lot of fights out there. There’s Jon Jones, there’s a trilogy with Stipe [Miocic], there is a big fight I can do in the UFC, so I would really like that to happen. I would also really like to come to a common point. Yes, I can do Tyson Fury on my own, but what next? I would like to continue to fight. I would like us to reach an agreement, but for that, they must have a good understanding of the situation.

Whether or not the UFC comes to terms is anyone’s guess. For now though, Ngannou remains indebted to the promotion and as such, no official talks have taken place between him and Fury. However, somehow, Ngannou remains absolutely convinced that he and Fury are destined to meet in the ring one day.

“My contractual situation is not an obstacle because anyway, my contractual situation will not prevent me from fighting,” said Ngannou. “So I think it’s pretty easy. Tyson Fury’s contract situation is also coming soon, so nothing can stop us from doing that.