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‘Big’ John McCarthy believes UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou could leave the promotion if he loses to Ciryl Gane in their upcoming fight. The former MMA referee suggested that ‘The Predator’ is unhappy with the way he’s been treated by the UFC.
Francis Ngannou’s current standing with the UFC was discussed in an edition of the Weighing In podcast hosted by McCarthy and former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson. They speculated regarding what would be the most shocking but realistic jump from one promotion to another in 2022. On that note, McCarthy stated:
“If we’re gonna take a look and say realistically, what is someone that could jump right [to another promotion], I’m telling you right now – Francis Ngannou. That’s the guy that can make the jump. That’s the guy that could leave his promotion. If he does not beat Ciryl Gane, I see him leaving the UFC and going elsewhere because he’s not happy with the way he’s been treated. I do think that that could be a possibility if you see Ciryl Gane taking that belt away from him.”
Watch John McCarthy’s conversation with Josh Thomson regarding Francis Ngannou and much more in the video below:
A dream matchup against Jon Jones looms on the horizon ahead of Francis Ngannou’s clash with Ciryl Gane
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is set to face interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on January 22nd. The winner will emerge as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion and could face MMA legend Jon Jones in a high-stakes fight in 2022.
Francis Ngannou’s potential departure from the UFC would jeopardize the much-awaited dream matchup between him and Jon Jones.
Considering the aforementioned variables at play, the consensus is that the outcome of Ngannou’s fight with Gane will have major implications not only for the UFC title landscape but also for ‘The Predator’s’ UFC future.
An intriguing topic discussed by Ariel Helwani and former UFC lightweight Kevin Lee during a recent edition of The MMA Hour was Francis Ngannou’s peculiar situation with the UFC.
Ariel Helwani pointed out that both Kevin Lee and Francis Ngannou are managed by Marquel Martin of CAA (Creative Artists Agency). Helwani highlighted that the UFC is owned by Endeavor, adding that CAA and Endeavor are two of the biggest talent agencies in the world today.
Helwani indicated that perhaps Kevin Lee’s release from the UFC and Francis Ngannou’s recent problems with the UFC brass could be a result of the professional rivalry between CAA and Endeavor. Regardless, Ngannou, on his part, hasn’t made any revelations in this regard as of yet.
