Francis Ngannou’s head coach Eric Nicksick has shed light upon why his star pupil refused to re-sign with the UFC.
Ngannou’s final fight on his UFC deal witnessed him unify the UFC heavyweight championship by defeating interim champion Ciryl Gane via a unanimous decision in January 2022.
Before and after the Gane matchup, then-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou notably engaged in an intense contract dispute with the UFC. Additionally, knee injury issues sidelined Ngannou for the remainder of 2022.
Earlier this month, Dana White revealed that Francis Ngannou didn’t re-sign with the organization. The UFC president announced that Ngannou has been stripped of his title and released from the UFC.
Leading up to his UFC departure, Ngannou consistently maintained that he wanted the promotion to allow him to compete in boxing too. He further campaigned for better fighter pay and benefits such as healthcare for UFC athletes.
In the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, coach Eric Nicksick alluded to his student Francis Ngannou’s aforementioned demands. He suggested that the UFC offered Ngannou good money but couldn’t fulfill his other contractual demands.
Moreover, he recalled accompanying Ngannou during a dinner meeting with the UFC brass after the Gane matchup. Explaining why Ngannou rejected a UFC contract renewal, Nicksick stated:
“We met with Dana [White] and Hunter [UFC’s Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell]; me, Dana, Hunter, Francis. After the fight, we had a great dinner, and things were going in the right direction. We got in the car, and Francis looks over at me and says, ‘If I sign this deal, if I do this without making any change, without doing all the things that I said I was going to do, I’m just another sell-out, and I refuse to do that.'”
Nicksick continued:
“He goes, ‘I’m happy. I have more money than I ever imagined. I’m in a position that I’d never envisioned, and I have a stance where I can make a difference.'”
Check out Eric Nicksick’s comments at the 9:40 mark:
Is a potential move to boxing on the cards for Francis Ngannou in 2023?
MMA heavyweight superstar Francis Ngannou and longtime boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury have often expressed interest in fighting one another, potentially in a mixed/hybrid rules fight.
On that note, many believe that Ngannou’s UFC exit could help the long-awaited Ngannou-Fury dream matchup materialize this year.
Nevertheless, several combat sports fans and experts foresee Tyson Fury refraining from facing Francis Ngannou under an MMA ruleset. It’s also unclear whether Ngannou will make the transition from MMA to the sport of boxing.
At this point, all is speculation. Hopefully, time will bring clarity to the situation.