Why did Francis Ngannou leave the UFC?

Francis Ngannou vacated his heavyweight championship and left the UFC in a decision that shocked the mixed martial arts world. With multiple theories surrounding his exit, Ngannou came out to address his reasons on his YouTube channel.

In a video, Ngannou spoke out against the comments made by UFC president Dana White regarding his exit. The video has already garnered a million views and contains the Cameroonian's explanation for his decison to turn down the promotion's final contract offer.

'The Predator' first addressed rumors of him ducking a fight against returning heavyweight debutant Jon Jones. He stressed his desire to fight Jones and his disappointment at the fight not materializing:

"They have also said that I am scared of fighting Jon Jones or somebody else, which I don't know where they came from with that one. That sounds very ridiculous, in my opinion, with all due respect. Because I have been calling for this fight for two years. I've been waiting for this fight forever. And I have been fighting guys with one knee, with injury. And now, why do I be scared of them? Well, I feel even more confident. No, I'm not scared."

Francis Ngannou then spoke about the contract rigidity on the promotion's part, which led to a breakdown in talks:

"The only thing that I'm scared of is to be trapped. Is not to lose my freedom, which I value very much. You guys know how the UFC contract can be restrictive and as an independent contractor, you don't really have a say in that contract. You don't even have a right so I can't, I can't do that... There's not really a lot of things that you want or you can when you are in that contract. They decide for you."

Watch Ngannou's comments on his YouTube channel:

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Tyson Fury calls out Francis Ngannou for a boxing match

Boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury appears interested in a meeting with Francis Ngannou.

The English boxer called out the former UFC heavyweight champ for a boxing match in an interview with SecondsOut:

"Francis Ngannou, I know you're out of contract with the UFC. Wanna earn some big boy money? Come see 'The Gypsy King'. Let's do a big, big fight for the baddest MF on the planet. Let's kick it up spicy, in a cage, four-ounce gloves, under Queensberry [boxing rules], and let's have a badass referee like 'Iron' Mike Tyson. Did I just sell that to the world?"

Fury suggested a star-studded event with Mike Tyson as the official and promised Ngannou a big-money match. The MMA fighter has previously expressed his interest in venturing into the boxing ring and was also put off by the UFC's refusal to facilitate that.

Check out Fury's callout to Ngannou: