Big' John McCarthy slams narrative that Francis Ngannou "ran away" from the UFC

Francis Ngannou is the latest entrant to test the free agency waters after Dana White announced that the UFC has stopped pursuing the Cameroonian to resign with the organization.

Ngannou was subsequently stripped off the heavyweight championship and Jon Jones will make his octagon return to battle Ciryl Gane for the vacant throne.

Ngannou and the top brass of the UFC have been embroiled in contract disputes for quite some time now. The latest narrative proposed by Dana White suggests that Ngannou wants to pursue easier fights for a hefty sum.

Several fighters, fans, and analysts have slammed the UFC for propagating the idea that Francis Ngannou is avoiding competitive fights. John McCarthy expressed the same opinion on Twitter, writing:

"Simply put @francis_ngannou did not get released by the @ufc. He fought out his contract while still being the Heavyweight Champion. Make no mistake, Francis is in no way afraid of anyone fighting in the UFC. He is a man of extraordinary courage who stands for his beliefs."

Check out the tweet below:

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Following Francis Ngannou's departure, former lightweight contender exposes UFC negotiation tactics

Francis Ngannou is officially free to pursue other opportunities outside of the UFC. Since the organization did not meet Ngannou's demands to include the flexibility to pursue boxing matches, negotiations between the parties have fallen apart.

Dana White stated that the UFC offered 'The Predator' multiple lucrative contracts that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight fighter in UFC history. The promotion has also attempted to propagate the notion that Ngannou left the UFC to pursue easier matchups outside of the promotion.

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez criticized the UFC for spreading this narrative. Fellow lightweight contender Gray Maynard, who competed in the UFC between 2007 and 2018, echoed the same sentiment.

He took to Twitter to expose the UFC and their attempts to defame fighters who leave the organization:

"You want more pay. “Scared to fight”. Want a better contract. “Scared to fight”. Want to test free agency. “Scared to fight”……. Shut up and take whatever they give you. “Loves to fight. Scary match up for anyone”

Check out the tweet below: