"Ahem Dana" - Francis Ngannou's cheeky 'Fumbled the Bag' duffel bag at open workouts has fans appreciating the move

Earlier this year, Francis Ngannou shocked fans across the world by becoming the first active UFC champion to depart the promotion since BJ Penn back in 2004.

‘The Predator’ had last defended his heavyweight crown against Ciryl Gane in 2022 but decided to allow his contract to expire in January, allowing him to leave as a free agent.

Following Francis Ngannou's departing from the UFC, many fans were concerned that he’d made the incorrect decision. Some suggested he’d “fumbled the bag” by turning down what was reportedly a big-money offer from the promotion.

However, ‘The Predator’ seemed nonplussed throughout the process. He even poked fun at those trolling fans on X (formerly Twitter) by posing on a Mercedes while sporting a Rolex watch in a post captioned, “Just out here fumbling the bag.”

Of course, Ngannou eventually ended up signing a mega-money deal with the PFL promotion, and that deal has led to his upcoming fight this weekend with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The bout has been labeled ‘The Battle of the Baddest’ and will see the former UFC champ make his professional boxing debut in a ten-round, non-title clash.

Hilariously, though, it appears that Francis Ngannou still has quite the chip on his shoulder when it comes to the “fumbled the bag” comment. At today’s open workout, he was seen using a duffel bag that outright displayed the phrase “Fumbled the Bag,” causing fans to react hilariously on social media.

View a collage of comments on this below.

Fan comments on Francis Ngannou's duffel bag.

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Francis Ngannou bag: How much money is ‘The Predator’ making from his fight with Tyson Fury?

Francis Ngannou’s big fight with Tyson Fury is set to go down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this weekend. The fight, which pits the WBC heavyweight champ against the former UFC heavyweight champ, is being dubbed ‘The Battle of the Baddest’.

Due to the fight being Ngannou’s debut as a professional boxer, few observers are giving him more than a puncher’s chance of beating ‘The Gypsy King,’ who has never tasted defeat in 34 bouts.

However, it’s likely that ‘The Predator’ will make a serious amount of money for this fight nonetheless. It has already been reported that Fury expects to make close to $200m combined for his fights with Ngannou and Oleksandr Usyk, who is waiting in the wings.

More recently, though, ‘The Gypsy King’ went on record to claim that Ngannou will be making around $10m for the fight, dwarfing the kind of pay he’d have made in the UFC.