Francis Ngannou has expressed his belief that the UFC's substantial $8 million contract offer was a deceptive move.
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Francis Ngannou has expressed his belief that the UFC’s substantial $8 million contract offer, which he declined earlier this year to fight Jon Jones, was a deceptive move. The reigning world heavyweight champion decided to leave the top MMA promotion after defending his belt against Ciryl Gane.
Despite the lucrative offer that would have made him the highest-paid 265lb fighter in history, Ngannou chose to sign with the PFL, the sport’s second-ranking promotion, and venture into boxing. Recently, he finalized a deal to face Tyson Fury in the boxing ring.
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During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Ngannou addressed the reports about the UFC’s offer and revealed that the massive payout wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared. Despite being the world champion, he had previously fought for a mere $600,000 in front of a packed KIA Forum on pay-per-view. This stark contrast in earnings led him to suspect that he might be taken advantage of by the new offer.
“I have heard so many times people say, ‘Oh, they offered him $8 million to fight, they offer him this and that’, which is not exactly [the truth],” Ngannou explained. “There was a trick there, and it was a bit because it was just in order for me to put the pen on the paper. There was like one big number, and behind it, there was nothing. The paper was blank pretty much.”
In the highly anticipated crossover bout between the top heavyweights in MMA and boxing, Ngannou will now be making over $10 million when he faces Fury. This historic clash puts two world champions in their primes against each other. While bookies and experts may have doubts about the fight’s competitiveness, Ngannou remains confident in his abilities and is determined to achieve a favorable outcome.
Ngannou’s upcoming boxing match is set to be a massive payday, potentially surpassing his earnings from his entire UFC career. With a rematch clause in place, the stakes are high, and a shock victory could lead to even more lucrative opportunities. When asked about the financial aspect, Ngannou confirmed that he would indeed pocket more from this single boxing fight than he did throughout his entire 14-fight run in the UFC, expressing absolute certainty about the significant difference in earnings.
“I mean, I didn’t make that much in my entire UFC career basically after turning down all those contract that could have made me more money. But yes, if we counted, absolutely.”
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