Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou is gone from the UFC, and he's breaking his silence on what led to his departure.

The former UFC heavyweight champion spoke to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour on Tuesday, saying factors beyond money led to his exit from the company.

"I felt like I was slapped in the face with money. Like, 'Take the money and shut up.' That didn't work with me," Ngannou said.

Ngannou added that he advocated for fighters to receive health insurance and the ability to have in-cage sponsorships during his negotiations.

"In that contract, I'm not free, I'm not an independent contractor. ... I hand over all power to [UFC], and I've seen in the past how you hold that power over me. I don't want that again," Ngannou said.

UFC offered Ngannou around $8 million to fight Jon Jones in what would have been the biggest bout of the 2023 calendar year.

Dana White told reporters Saturday the promotion offered Ngannou a record contract but accused the star of wanting to fight "lesser opponents and make more money":

"We get to this point, and I've told you guys this before, if you don't want to be here, you don't have to be here. I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn't want to take a lot of risks. He feels he's in a good position where he can fight lesser opponents and make more money.

"So we're going to let him do that. We're going to release him for his contract. We're going to give up our right to match, and he can go and do whatever he wants. That's where we're at."

Ngannou, 36, had been with the UFC since 2015. He has not fought since defeating Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision last January in UFC 270.

While it was well known that Ngannou and the UFC were having issues in contract negotiations, it remains a surprise that things fell apart. Ngannou is one of MMA's biggest names and has been an anchor of the heavyweight division.

Given the public back-and-forth between White and Ngannou, it appears unlikely we'll see a reconciliation soon. That said, if the money is right, it's always possible cooler heads prevail.

UFC President Dana White announced on Saturday that the promotion has released heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou after the two sides could not reach a contract agreement.

In addition, Jon "Bones" Jones will now make his heavyweight debut on March 4 in Las Vegas for the vacant UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. White also announced that Jones has signed an eight-fight deal with UFC.

White had more comments on Ngannou, including thoughts on negotiations regarding the heavyweight fight that never happened between the now ex-champ and Jones.

Ngannou is still working his way back to the Octagon after suffering a torn ACL and MCL before his UFC 270 win against Gane in January 2022. However, there was public hope earlier this week that a fight between him and Jones could still go down in March.

Eric Nicksick, Ngannou's head coach, ballparked the probability of a Jones-Ngannou fight happening then.

"I think it's 50-50, to be honest with you, when you're talking business and timeline," Nicksick told Mike Heck of MMA Fighting.

"I'm confident from what I saw from Francis a couple of weeks ago that if we had to be ready for March, I think we can get him ready, but I think it is cutting it a little bit short because he had to go back home and renew his visa."

A Jones-Ngannou fight won't be happening now, but numerous MMA analysts sided with Ngannou upon his departure.

The 36-year-old Ngannou is 17-3 (12-2 UFC) in his professional career, with 12 knockouts and four submissions. He's won six straight fights, including a second-round KO over Stipe Miocic, which earned him the heavyweight belt at UFC 260 in March 2021. Ngannou won by unanimous decision over Gane in Jan. 2022 at UFC 270.

Jon Jones could be nearing a return to the UFC for a showdown against heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

On Wednesday's episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani said talks between the UFC and Ngannou are going well, and UFC 285 in March is a potential target date for a bout with Jones.

Ngannou hasn't fought since he defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on Jan. 22 to unify the heavyweight title. He fought with a torn ACL and MCL suffered during sparring sessions leading up to the bout and required surgery.

"Upon his return (home), we plan on getting surgery and starting the recovery process so we can get him back to 100 percent as soon as possible," Ngannou's manager, Marquel Martin, told ESPN's Brett Okamoto. "In the meantime, we hope we can find a peaceful resolution in these contract talks. We'd like to thank all the fans for their continued support and belief in Francis."

The Predator told ESPN's Marc Raimondi (h/t MMAFighting.com) in September he still has a goal of competing as a boxer, and it could impact his future in the UFC.

"I don’t know [if that’ll be in the UFC], it depends. We haven’t had a real talk, but if boxing can happen in the UFC as well—we haven’t had the real talk, let’s see how it plays. I’m open to any option," Ngannou said. "But what I do know for sure is that I’m going to do that damn boxing."

Ngannou has previously talked about wanting to challenge Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

Jones has long been rumored to be in line to fight Ngannou. UFC President Dana White told MMA Junkie's Danny Segura and John Morgan in May 2020 the former light-heavyweight champ wanted a payout similar to what Wilder received for his second fight with Fury.

Boxing journalist Dan Rafael noted at the time that Wilder was guaranteed more than $25 million plus a percentage of any profit from pay-per-view sales.

Eric Nicksick, who coaches Ngannou, told MMA Junkie Radio in October he brought up the idea of a showdown with Bones when a UFC executive called him:

"A UFC exec called and basically said, ‘Hey, what is your ideal timeline, and what is your ideal matchup? Does it matter what my opinion is? No, but it is nice that they called and asked. I said ideally I would want March, and ideally I would want Jon Jones. The person that called agreed 1 million percent that this is what (the UFC) would like, as well. That is what Francis would like. They’re calling to figure out timeline on injury and how long I would need to get him ready."

Jones has been teasing a return to the Octagon, including telling a fan on Twitter he was preparing to fight Stipe Miocic on Dec. 10.

Nothing came of that, but it was an indication that Jones could be close to a comeback. Bones hasn't fought since February 2020 when he defeated Dominick Reyes to retain the UFC light heavyweight championship.

Jones vacated the title six months later due to his contract dispute with the UFC.

Ngannou and Jones are arguably the two most dominant UFC champions of this generation. Ngannou has a 17-3 career record and six consecutive victories, including five by knockout or TKO.

Jones is 26-1 with one no-contest. His lone defeat was a disqualification for an illegal elbow on Matt Hamill in December 2009.

Jon Jones is reportedly "penciled" in to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 285 on March 5 in Las Vegas, though an opponent hasn't been finalized.

Nolan King of MMAJunkie reported Monday that Jones, who last fought in February 2020, is "ready to go" and potential counterparts include Francis Ngannou, who's recovering from a knee injury, and Curtis Blaydes.

Jones' last bout was a successful light heavyweight championship defense against Dominick Reyes, which improved his career record to 26-1 with one no contest.

One month later, he was arrested on four charges, including DWI, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He pleaded guilty to DWI and avoided jail time. He served four days of house arrest as part of a sentence that included a fine and community service.

Jones was inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame in September 2021, but one day later was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in Las Vegas after an altercation with then-fiancée, Jessie Moses. The domestic violence charge was later dropped as part of a plea agreement that included a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor count of destruction of property.

UFC president Dana White discussed Jones' issues in Vegas in wake of the Hall of Fame ceremony.

"Let's see how this plays out legally for him, and where this ends up going," White told reporters at the time. "This city is not good for Jon Jones, and here we are again. It's not even shocking anymore. When we bring him here, it's almost expected. You can't even get him to Las Vegas for less than 12 hours to induct him into the Hall of Fame. It's a problem."

He added: "The guy has a lot of demons, man. A lot of demons."

In the Octagon, Jones is one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history, with light heavyweight title reigns that covered most of the 2010s.

His return was originally slated to come against Stipe Miocic, but those negotiations fell apart. King noted that potential fight is "essentially gone by the wayside, barring revival from the dead."

So the focus has shifted to either Ngannou, if he's cleared to fight by early next year, or Blaydes as the "prospective safety net" if Ngannou remains sidelined, per King.

One way or another, it sounds like Jones' return should happen in early 2023.

UFC champion Francis Ngannou is targeting a 2023 return after undergoing surgery to repair the ACL and MCL in his right knee in March, he told ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

"I'm not very strong on that knee yet," Ngannou said Friday. "See how heavy I am. That's something I really have to consider—my weight and this division and how it is."

Ngannou told Raimondi that he is currently "very out of shape." However, he intends to visit his doctor in Las Vegas next week before going into pre-training camp to get his body back where it needs to be.

The 35-year-old's future with the UFC is up in the air. He has publicly discussed issues surrounding his contract, which is set to end at the end of the year. Ahead of UFC 270, he told reporters he would not fight for UFC again under his current contract.

"I will not fight for $500,000 [or] $600,000 anymore," he said. "It's over. I took this fight for personal reasons, because I want to make sure that regardless of [whether] it's fair, I can make my case that I have completed the fights."

However, UFC president Dana White says he has met with Ngannou multiple times and is confident they will be able to reach an agreement. He told TMZ Sports in January that the promotion would figure things out "one way or another."

It's unclear who Ngannou will fight when he's ready to return. However, Eric Nicksick, his coach, would like to see him fight Jon Jones, he told MMA Fighting:

"The fight that makes the most sense is obviously Jon Jones. That's the fight we all want. The way I look at it is, Jon Jones has been out for two and a half years. If we can’t do it in December, and depending on the way the UFC schedule plays out, maybe [it can happen] in January or February, somewhere in that timeline.

"Jon hasn't fought in so long, Stipe hasn't fought since Francis beat him, so that will be two years for Stipe in March, so might as well wait another month for the super fight and the fight to make.

"Honestly, for me, I'd love the Stipe fight again, or the Jones fight, but if I had my choice between the two, obviously I want to compete against the best to ever do it, in my opinion, and that's Jon Jones."

Ngannou has fought for the UFC since 2015 and has an 11-2 record with the promotion. "The Predator" is 16-3 overall in his MMA career and is known for having the world's hardest punch.