Francis Ngannou Reveals List Of Requests He Made During UFC Negotiations

Francis Ngannou has been one of the best heavyweights in the UFC for a very long time. In march 2021, Ngannou finally defeated Stipe Miocic to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion cementing his legacy as a UFC great.

Ngannou would hold the title belt until 2023 when Dana White announced that he was stripping Ngannou of the belt after the two parties couldn’t come to terms on a new contract. The news came as a shocker to many fans who couldn’t believe Ngannou would walk away while still being the champion.

Francis Ngannou spoke of his UFC departure for the first time on The MMA Hour. He revealed that he is very happy and he feels he did the right thing.

“Overall, I’m good. I have no stress. I feel very good about it. I’m very happy. I know that I did everything right. I don’t have any regrets. I wouldn’t do anything differently if I had to do it again. I would do the same thing. I’m very happy. I’m very satisfied. On the other hand, this is a sport. This is business. I have my personal life in Cameroon. I’m with my family. At the end of the day, this is what matters. I have my balance in life. I’m doing very good. Don’t you worry about me.”

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Francis revealed some crucial details about his contract negotiations with UFC. While he mentioned that he was offered somewhere in the range of $8 million, there were some non-monetary requests which were not met, and this upset Ngannou.

“What I’ve learned is you don’t go to the table of negotiation expecting to have everything that you want. But at least you want your partner, the other side, to show your willingness or to at least try,” Ngannou said. “I asked for a lot of things, which doesn’t mean I was expecting all those things. I was expecting at least one or two of those things. I asked for the right of a sponsorship, which we’ve been reaped of. We can’t have sponsorship. I asked for health insurance. (I) couldn’t have (it). I asked for a fighter advocate, somebody in the board meeting who will advocate for the fighters. I asked for that. I couldn’t have those stuffs that I asked for. I just wanted (them) to know that there is something that I do want. I also wanted them to think (about) that, at least in consideration. ”

After the UFC denied his requests, talks between both parties stopped but then resumed again after his contract expired. Ngannou stated that he did not publicly disclose his free agency status out of respect for the behind-the-scenes conversations.

In the end, the two sides failed to come to an agreement as Dana White announced this Saturday that Francis Ngannou was no longer part of the roster and has been stripped of the UFC Heavyweight Title.

Following his departure, several MMA promotions have reached out to the former UFC fighter. But Ngannou predicts he will fight in boxing sometime in July but didn’t mention against whom and for which promotion. Stay tuned to Thirsty For News as we keep you updated on this story as it develops.

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