“I got bullied”- Francis Ngannou reveals why he didn’t renew his fight contract before UFC 270


“I got bullied”- Francis Ngannou reveals why he didn’t renew his fight contract before UFC 270

Francis Ngannou- Dana White

UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou is a one-man army against the entire brass of the UFC where he has to fight for his freedom as a fighter with lucrative ideas for his true worth and more importantly, his fate as a fighter for the rest of his life. Ngannou, who last fought at UFC 270 against former training partner Ciryl Gane in a title unification bout, only to win the fight via the first-ever decision victory of his career, fought through his fight contract with the UFC as well.

Francis Ngannou UFC 270
Francis Ngannou at UFC 270

Francis Ngannou’s negotiation troubles with the UFC are an ongoing battle that has prevented Ngannou to have his next title defence and has put the promotion on the verge of putting a second consecutive interim title fight during the champion’s reign. Ngannou is known for his fierce knockout power and has been called by many the scariest fighter to ever come inside the Octagon in UFC history. Ngannou has won over the likes of Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez and many more.

Francis Ngannou feels he has defended himself by claiming his value after fighting through his fight contract

Ciryl Gane vs Francis Ngannou UFC 270
Ciryl Gane vs Francis Ngannou at UFC 270

In an interview on the True Geordie Podcast, Ngannou talks about his early life in Africa, his path to win the UFC gold and much more. He then talks about what made him reluctant to renew his fight contract with the biggest MMA promotion in the world i.e. the UFC itself and why is that he laid his fingers exposing the company around and after his last fight.

“It wasn’t only about the last fight, people know more [from] the last fight because that was the moment that I spoke about it. [But] I always spoke about it because like my back was against the wall,” says Ngannou with a rather heavy voice. UFC kind of like put me in the position that I have to like defend myself and tell people like no, it’s not because I don’t want to fight, it’s because this is the real reason. This is what is going on you know…

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I didn’t want to do that you know, like bring stuff up, I thought we were going to fix [it]. Then behind the stage, I was getting bullied and I didn’t like that you know… [all this] doesn’t mean I don’t want to be in the UFC but I want to be in a position, a free position to negotiate a new contract you know, therefore, I can speak and claim my value my worth, you know…” he continues.

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What do you make of Francis Ngannou’s position as a UFC fighter? Do you agree with his stance or should he work more flexibly like a corporate world job? Either way, Ngannou’s path to go different in his negotiation abilities for his professional career will speak volumes for the generation ahead, which would give courage to those who chose to stand for themselves against an entire institution.

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