Wipe out Francis Ngannou’s legacy? Fans shocked as UFC merely mentions former champ in promo for Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane
MMA community slams UFC for mere mentions of former heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou in the UFC 285 countdown video.
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(Image Courtesy - MMA Fighting/ Bloody Elbow/ UFC)
The MMA community is just a weekend away from witnessing the greatest combat sports return in history as former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones makes his return to the octagon. On the other end of the octagon will be the #1 ranked heavyweight contender, Ciryl Gane.
Jon Jones’ return to the UFC cage has been much-anticipated and long-awaited by fans. Often considered as GOAT, Jones has his crosshairs set on the heavyweight division after conquering the LHW division. However, fans have felt dejected at UFC’s attempts to mention former heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou after the Cameroonian champion shockingly departed from the UFC in January.
Its funny because for the last two years we couldnt get a lightweight title fight countdown without a mention of khabib, but as soon as it is about a fighter they want you to forget about, not a single mention of Francis.
— Abdulrahman (@AbdlrhmanAMRB) February 27, 2023
It tough to add him in any promo now. He is such a behemoth of a star. Sucks the UFC lost him
— Rick Adan (@rickadan) February 27, 2023
He memory holed himself by thinking he's much better then he really is.
— ApacWiz330 (@wiz330) February 28, 2023
— Mellem™ (@mellem_esq) February 28, 2023
The MMA community has largely criticized the UFC for merely mentioning Francis Ngannou in the promo video of Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane. UFC’s biggest failure despite a great line-up of fights ahead has been its inability to retain the scariest heavyweight on the planet.
“Amazing, managed to make an entire countdown without mentioning Ngannou at all. It’s amazing. They memory holed Ngannou completely,” a fan tweeted. Fans of the sport have found it disrespectful as Francis Ngannou is the former champion and was initially speculated to be Jones’ greatest opponent upon return.
Related: Who are Jon Jones’ brothers? Why did the UFC legend not become an NFL player?
‘Scariest heavyweight’ Francis Ngannou’s UFC career prior to departure from the UFC
When former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou departed from the UFC, fans were left in splits after a long-awaited dream fight between Jon Jones and Ngannou was ruled out. Jon Jones is set to make his return at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane. However, Gane was never the first choice.
Cameroonian champion, Francis Ngannou is one of the greater representatives of MMA fighters due to his long-term contractual disputes with UFC over the fighter’s pay, insurance, and management. The former heavyweight champion was initially speculated as the best opponent for Jon Jones upon his return to the octagon.
But things did not go as smoothly after UFC’s contract left no room for negotiation for Ngannou. Thus, leaving the promotion and becoming a free agent. Francis Ngannou has notable knockout victories over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Stipe Miocic.
After defeating the greatest MMA heavyweight, Stipe Miocic in 2021 for the title, Ngannou went on to defend his title against the #1 ranked heavyweight contender, Ciryl Gane. However, before Jon Jones could return to the octagon, Ngannou decided to leave the promotion due to disagreements with the UFC.
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Debabrata Samal
(86 Articles Published)