Francis Ngannou News
ONE's Chatri Sityodtong discusses possible Francis Ngannou signing: "He's just not a complete fighter"
Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2022
It seems that Chatri Sityodtong isn’t very interested in signing Francis Ngannou to ONE Championship. The UFC heavyweight champion is currently set to be a free agent at the beginning of 2023. His high-profile feud with Dana White and the UFC has made it a foregone conclusion that ‘The Predator’ will soon be gone from the promotion next year. The UFC president has gone as far as stating that they’re already looking at options for an interim title bout next.
Dana White confirms UFC heavyweight interim title "probably" on the way with Francis Ngannou out
Josh Evanoff - March 18, 2022
With Francis Ngannou on the sidelines, the UFC’s heavyweight division seems primed for an interim champion. ‘The Predator’ is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Following the victory, it was revealed that Ngannou was suffering from a torn MCL and would be forced to undergo surgery. Alongside the injury, the UFC’s heavyweight champion has publicly pondered leaving the promotion to pursue boxing.
Dana White says "it's a really bad idea" for Francis Ngannou to box Tyson Fury
Cole Shelton - March 3, 2022
Dana White doesn’t think Francis Ngannou has much of a chance if he boxes Tyson Fury. For quite some time now, Ngannou and Fury have been talking about fighting one another. With the UFC heavyweight champion also in contract negotiation, he has made it clear he wants to box and Fury would be his dream opponent.
Despite Tyson Fury's retirement proclamation, he still intends to fight Francis Ngannou in 2023: "I'll be ready to do crossover fights"
Josh Evanoff - March 2, 2022
Tyson Fury recently noted that he’s going to retire from boxing after his fight with Dillian Whyte. ‘The Gyspy King’ is now deciding to clarify that stance a little bit. He’s still looking for a crossover bout with Francis Ngannou. The WBC heavyweight champion is set to face ‘The Body Snatcher’ next month in Wembley Stadium. At yesterday’s inaugural press conference for the event, Tyson Fury said that he’s going to retire post-fight. He explained that he’s got enough money and that he’s only getting older.
David Feldman interested in signing Francis Ngannou to BKFC if he becomes a free agent
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2022
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is interested in signing Francis Ngannou should he become a free agent, according to BKFC president, David Feldman. It was well-documented that Ngannou was fighting out his contract when he fought Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, a fight he won by decision. Since then, he hasn’t signed a new deal and due to him still being the champ he either has to fight one more time or wait until the end of the year to become a free agent.
Khabib Nurmagomedov discusses Francis Ngannou's contract dispute: "If you guys have a deal, you have to follow through with it"
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2022
Khabib Nurmagomedov has given his thoughts on the ongoing contract dispute between Francis Ngannou and the UFC. It was well-known Ngannou entered his UFC 270 title defense against Ciryl Gane on the last fight of his deal. He said he would never fight on his current contract again as he wasn’t happy with his pay.
Francis Ngannou throws his support behind Jake Paul: “I’m 100 percent with him”
Fernando Quiles - February 20, 2022
Francis Ngannou appreciates Jake Paul for speaking out on UFC fighter pay. Ngannou is the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion but things aren’t exactly rosy. “The Predator” and the UFC have been at odds for a while now.
Ciryl Gane explains his decision to go for a leg lock in the final round against Francis Ngannou
Harry Kettle - February 17, 2022
UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane has explained why he decided to go for a leg lock in the final round of his title fight against Francis Ngannou. In the main event of UFC 270 last month, Ciryl Gane fell short in his pursuit of the UFC heavyweight championship. For many fans, pundits and judges alike, he did enough to win the first two rounds of his bout with Francis Ngannou – only to lose the final three to leave him on the wrong end of a decision defeat.
Derrick Lewis reveals he didn't watch Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane: "I tried to stream it but they kept getting shut down"
Josh Evanoff - February 10, 2022
Derrick Lewis has revealed that he didn’t want the UFC 270 main event between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. The news comes as a bit of a surprise, given that ‘The Black Beast’ has a history with both men. Lewis defeated Ngannou via unanimous decision in one of the worst fights ever at UFC 226. Unfortunately, he faltered in his interim championship clash with Gane at UFC 265.
Chad Mendes claims he'll make more money in his BKFC debut than Francis Ngannou made for UFC 270
Cole Shelton - February 4, 2022
Chad Mendes is finally set to make his BKFC debut and is apparently getting paid quite a bit of money for his services. Mendes hasn’t fought since 2018 at UFC 232 and he later retired in the summer of 2019. ‘Money’ recently announced his intention to return and signed with BKFC where he will face Joshuah Alvarez in a 155-pound bout on Feb. 19 at BKFC: Knucklemania 2.
Sam Alvey not flustered by short-notice fight: "I'd fight Ngannou if they want me to"
Josh Evanoff - February 3, 2022
Sam Alvey is currently riding a seven-fight winless streak inside the octagon. Despite that skid, he remains undeterred by any fighter on the roster. ‘Smiling Sam’ is scheduled to fight Brendan Allen this weekend at UFC Vegas 47 at 205 pounds. However, that was far from the plan to start with. Alvey was originally scheduled to fight Ian Heinisch at middleweight at the event.
Francis Ngannou on the possibility of his UFC career being over: “I’m proud of myself and of what I have achieved”
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2022
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has said that if his time in the promotion is over, he’s proud of what he’s accomplished. At UFC 270 last month, Francis Ngannou successfully defended the UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. “The Predator” overcame some early adversity and used his wrestling to grind out a decision win, with UFC president Dana White failing to be the man who put the belt on him when Bruce Buffer announced the result.
Randy Couture sounds off on the “horrible” Ultimate Fighter contracts handed out by UFC: “A one-sided mess”
Cole Shelton - January 31, 2022
Randy Couture doesn’t like the contracts the UFC hands to the contestants of The Ultimate Fighter. Couture owns Xtreme Couture and was a coach on TUF, so he has seen first hand what fighters’ contracts are like coming off the show. He claims TUF contracts are extremely one-sided and are very favorable towards the UFC.
Michael Bisping shares his thoughts on a potential super fight between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury
Susan Cox - January 31, 2022
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has shared his thoughts on a potential Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury super fight. It appears that both Fury and Ngannou are in agreement that they want to meet in the boxing ring in 2022.
Francis Ngannou’s coach explains why he wants to get Jon Jones his first time out at heavyweight
Harry Kettle - January 31, 2022
Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick has explained why he wants Jon Jones’ first heavyweight fight to be against Francis Ngannou. For years now we’ve been hearing talk of Jon Jones building his body up in the right way in anticipation of his move to the heavyweight division. The former light heavyweight king hasn’t been seen in the UFC since controversially beating Dominick Reyes in February 2020, with many wondering whether his issues with the promotion would prevent him from making that leap.
Fernand Lopez Credits Kamaru Usman For Keeping Peace With Francis Ngnanou
Fernando Quiles - January 30, 2022
MMA Factory head coach Fernand Lopez has some praise for UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Going into the UFC 270 PPV, the beef wasn’t between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. Instead, the bad blood between Ngnanou and Lopez came to a head. The two exchanged some harsh words in the build-up to the undisputed heavyweight title bout.
Jon Jones’ advisor to meet with the UFC to discuss potential title fights against Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic
Cole Shelton - January 28, 2022
Jon Jones’ advisor, Richard Schaefer will be meeting with the UFC brass this weekend to discuss ‘Bones’ returning to the UFC. Jones has not fought since February of 2020 where he defeated Dominick Reyes by decision to defend his light heavyweight title. After that, he vacated his 205lbs strap in hopes of moving up to heavyweight. However, as of right now ‘Bones’ has yet to make the official move, but the hope for many fans is he returns to face Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic in the very near future.
Kevin Lee says his UFC release was retaliation stemming from Francis Ngannou’s contract dispute
Susan Cox - January 28, 2022
Kevin Lee, 29, (18-7 MMA) former UFC interim lightweight title contender was released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in November 2021. Lee’s manager, Marquel Martin, of Creative Artists Agency, had indicated that ‘The Motown Phenom’ had multiple fights left on his contract but the UFC decided to terminate him anyways.