Recovering from knee surgery, Francis Ngannou continues to have an uncertain future within the UFC.
I feel unprotected: Francis Ngannou
The reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion’s contract expires at the end of this year, however, the renewal was not proposed by the promotion. In the meantime, the fighter has criticized the organization, saying that its growing stronger while the fighters are losing power.
“When you look at the sport, do you think everything is perfect? No, I don’t think everything is perfect,” Ngannou said in an interview with Sirius XM, “Over time, I realized that there are many problems that can be solved. I was getting frustrated because I feel unprotected. And that’s exactly the situation of the other fighters. I would like the UFC to consider its position on several things now in relation to athletes.”
Among the issues that the champion mentioned that he would like to see the UFC rethink are sponsorships and the participation of athletes in the company’s decisions. The Ultimate adopted exclusive uniforms in 2015 and, since then, has eliminated the possibility of fighters stamping the brands of their personal sponsors on shirts and fight shorts, a move which was severely criticized at the time.
“I’m sure that, with the passage of time, UFC fighters, we are losing a lot of power. The company is growing and getting stronger, and we have no power,” he lamented.
Despite criticism of the UFC, Ngannou said he was calm with the contractual situation. The last time the Cameroonian entered the Octagon was in January, when he beat Ciryl Gane and retained the division’s belt. The expected return is next year.
“I haven’t received any offers. So it remains the same. I hope that in the next two or three months we can deal with this to solve everything,” concluded Ngannou.
Back in March 2021, Ngannou started a fight outside the Octagon with the UFC, in search of salary appreciation. Another question that the Cameroonian has raised in several interviews is that he wants a clause in his contract that allows him to box. He even gave an interview with Tyson Fury, former world boxing champion, reinforcing his desire to face him in the future.
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