Brendan Schaub believes the UFC didn't stack the UFC 270 card to weaken Francis Ngannou's negotiating power

Brendan Schaub believes the UFC didn't build a strong card around the top two fights at UFC 270 in order to weaken Francis Ngannou's negotiating position.

During a recent episode of The Schaub Show, the former UFC heavyweight suggested 'The Predator' would be impaired during negotiations with Tyson Fury and the UFC if his clash with Ciryl Gane didn't live up to expectations on pay-per-view:

"Yeah, I would say the pay-per-view does around 3-400 [thousand], where they make their nut off 300. As long as they hit the 300 mark, anything below that they're not thrilled about. It also doesn't help Francis' negotiating power with Tyson Fury or the UFC if it did low. You want it to do a little better, but Ciryl Gane is not a household name yet."

Schaub added that he wouldn't be surprised if the UFC put on a weaker card to spite Ngannou:

"If they were to stack that card and it does great on pay-per-view, it really f*cks up Francis' negotiating power."

The heavyweight champion is embroiled in a bitter contract dispute with the world's premier MMA organization. Ngannou's deal will reportedly expire in December and he might not extend it unless both parties can make significant headway during negotiations in the coming months.

Check out the entire episode of The Schaub Show below:

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Brendan Schaub slams Dana White for not wrapping the belt around Francis Ngannou's waist

Mick Maynard put the strap around Francis Ngannou's waist instead of Dana White after the Cameroonian's unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. The UFC president also didn't attend the post-fight press conference.

Brendan Schaub criticized White for his course of action and labeled it "a b*tch move."

“I have no ill will towards Dana, I just think when it comes to this stuff, whether Francis Ngannou leaves or Izzy [Israel Adesanya] were to leave or Conor [McGregor] were to leave, name anybody you want, you still won, Dana. If I’m his right hand man, I’m his assistant and we’re sitting cageside next to each other and Francis won and Dana was like, ‘F*** it, I’m not going out there man, I’m not doing this.' I’d go, 'Hey, dude, can I talk to you real quick - you’re worth $400 million. You’ve won. By you doing this, you’re not helping anybody, it’s kind of a b***h move. So could you just get in there?'"

Francis Ngannou went into UFC 270 with a torn MCL and a damaged ACL, making his victory even more impressive.

He's now set to spend some time on the sidelines recovering from injury and might not defend the title again since his contract expires in December.