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Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC has been the biggest story in mixed martial arts since Dana White announced it at the UFC Vegas 67 post-fight press conference. Several fighters, analysts, and fans have speculated on what may have prompted the UFC to terminate Ngannou's contract and have been trying to establish the context for the most recent development.
The promotion released Ngannou following multiple contract offers that could have made him the highest-paid heavyweight competitor in UFC history. In addition to waving off an exclusive negotiating window and a one-year matching rights clause, they stripped him of the heavyweight championship.
Francis Ngannou may finally realize his long-cherished dream of making the transition to boxing now that he is officially free to pursue other interests outside the UFC. He has even called out heavyweight boxing megastars Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury for a potential bout inside the squared circle.
Taking all that into consideration, former UFC heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub speculated that Francis Ngannou's apparent delight at his unfortunate departure from the promotion would be indicative of some assured opportunities for 'The Predator'. Speaking on his YouTube channel Thiccc Boy, Schaub stated:
"So for Francis, you have to be able to bank on yourself and walk away from that type of money and that type of exposure in the UFC. There has to be some sort of negotiating going on in the boxing world that we don't know about. That's the only valid point I can think of why Francis would turn down this insane deal to be the highest paid UFC heavyweight of all time. You know, we're [UFC] offering Brock Lesnar money."
Catch Schaub's comments below:
Place your bets for the upcoming UFC Fight Night main card and earn $$$.
Francis Ngannou catches up with football icon Cristiano Ronaldo
Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, was recently released from the organization after failing to agree to a new contract with the organization.
Within the first week of his departure, the Cameroonian traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and met up with football icon Cristiano Ronaldo during the visit, who relocated there after signing a mega-deal with Al-Nassr Football Club.
Francis Ngannou uploaded a bunch of photos of himself and Ronaldo together, with the two of them even appearing to square off in a few of the snaps. He captioned the post:
"Great talking with the 🐐 in Riyadh today. Very inspirational! @cristiano"
Check out the post below:
