16 January 2023 , 12:44
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Francis Ngannou will receive an offer from bare-knuckle fighting promotion BKFC following his departure from the UFC.
Ngannou has been embroiled in a contract dispute with the UFC and president Dana White for several months, as he targeted a fresh deal with much higher pay. The Cameroon star held the UFC heavyweight title but was eyeing lucrative fights in the boxing ring including against Dillian Whyte and Tyson Fury.
It was announced over the weekend that Ngannou had officially left the UFC after failing to agree a new contract, which would see him vacate his heavyweight title for good. It is now expected he will face a whole host of offers from rival promotions including PFL and Bellator who have both stated their intent to snap him up.
However BKFC president David Feldman has stated he is hopeful that fans will see Ngannou grace the squared circle under their banner this year. “We’re very interested in signing Francis Ngannou and would very much like to have him compete in the stacked BKFC heavyweight division,” Feldman said in a statement to MMA Junkie. “We’re tabling an offer for his services, and hopefully fans will see him in the BKFC squared circle in 2023.”
Ngannou has stated his interest in pursuing a career in the boxing ring on multiple occasions, and even asked for a clause to be placed in any new UFC contract so he can be released to negotiate fight deals in the sport. However he now faces an uncertain future which is unlikely to be resolved quickly with Ngannou required to consider his options.
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Potential boxing rival Fury previously proposed a boxing clash as an exhibition, but it is currently unlikely that the fight will take place this year with the 'Gypsy King' having already made a three-fight plan.
Francis Ngannou could make the switch to bare-knuckle boxing (Zuffa LLC)What do you think should be next for Francis Ngannou? Let us know in the comments section below
It is believed that Ngannou was unhappy with the offer made by the UFC, which will now see J on Jones and Cyril Gane contest his vacated belt. UFC president Dana White insisted that the financial terms were favourable for the former champion, who he claims would have been the highest-paid heavyweight in the company's history.
"We offered a deal to Francis that would’ve made him the highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company, more than Brock Lesnar, more than everybody," White said. "And he turned the deal down. We’re going to release him from his contract, give up our right to match. He can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants.
"I think Francis is at a place right now, where he doesn’t want to take a risk. He feels like he can fight lesser opponents and make more money. The guy weighs over 300lb, just had knee surgery, hasn’t had a real training camp. I think that probably has a lot to do with it."