Francis Ngannou was one of the biggest names and draws in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at the start of 2023. Ngannou was the UFC’s heavyweight champion and was allegedly offered the biggest UFC heavyweight contract in history to resign with the organization.
Ngannou decided against resigning with the UFC as he wanted to pursue a fight in boxing either with Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua as he wanted a $30 million fight purse. Since relinquishing his heavyweight title and parting ways with the UFC, things haven’t gone well for the 36 year old.
MMA Promotions Not Keen On Signing Ngannou
Initially there were a number of MMA promotions including Bellator and Bare Knuckle FC that were interested in singing Ngannou but they soon gave up as they felt Ngannou was asking for too much.
Tyson Fury did not show a lot of interest in fighting Ngannou and suddenly Ngannou found himself out in the cold. Asia’s ONE Championship said last week that they were looking to sign Ngannou but CEO Chatri Sityodtong said they decided not to make the offer in the end as Ngannou did not align with their long term vision.
Ngannou hasn’t fought for over 400 days and his star power is quickly declining without the UFC backing him. The only other big MMA organization that is yet to make an offer is the PFL and if that falls through, Ngannou might have to swallow his pride and accept an offer lower than his earlier expectations.
