With Francis Ngannou being one of the biggest free agents MMA has ever seen, it did not take long for a promotion to shoot its shot.
Although hints had been popping up to suggest that this was going to happen sooner or later, nothing could prepare MMA fans for the news that Francis Ngannou was officially released from his contract, being stripped of the heavyweight title. This makes him a free agent, with no exclusive negotiating period, after an essentially year-long battle to find a path forward with the promotion.
BKFC Shoots The First Shot At Francis Ngannou
There has not been a recent example of a fighter in the position of Francis Ngannou, with him being at the peak of his career and the champion yet choosing to part ways with the UFC in order to pursue other options. So, it naturally did not take long before a promotion stepped forward to put their name in the hat to try to secure this massive free agent.
The first combat sports agency to publicly speak out in interest of signing Ngannou was none other than Bare Knuckle FC. The bare-knuckle boxing promotion posted to their Twitter, tagging the now-former champ, and making it clear that they are interested in signing him.
This came on the heels of a report from Damon Martin, who spoke with BKFC President Dave Feldman. Here, it was confirmed that they are very interested in signing Ngannou and would make a big push to get a deal done with the former champ.
“BKFC is interested in pursuing Francis Ngannou. Statement from BKFC President Dave Feldman: ‘BKFC is very interested in Francis, we will certainly make a play for him. We feel like he’s a great fit for BKFC and can bring amazing attention to our company,’” Martin reported.
The idea of someone with the historical punching power of Francis Ngannou fighting in a promotion that does not use gloves is absolutely insane to ponder. That said, “The Predator” has flaunted some hints at other directions he plans on going in, so it will be interesting to watch how this situation unfolds.