Francis Ngannou made his big move to the PFL earlier last year. The heavyweight phenom always seemed at odds with Dana White and the UFC prior to his exit. He’s been rather open about the contractual difficulties he faced at the promotion and his exchanges with White. Now, a new detail reveals just how unfavorable it was for ‘The Predator’.

Ngannou is making a lot of money with his new contract at the PFL. He also has much more freedom. And that was exactly what he was looking for with the UFC. But that never happened. Perhaps it’s something every fighter faces but can’t quite control. Here’s more on the story.

Francis Ngannou and the contractual freedom he has earned

Francis Ngannou said that in his contract with the UFC, he had no power. He could not get promotions or always make decisions for himself. Being an accomplished heavyweight, then, meant just about nothing. His career was very well-surveilled and controlled.

With the PFL, the freedom he wanted came along. And so did the money he felt like he deserved. In fact, Ngannou even managed to secure about $2 million for his opponents at the PFL. And the French-Cameroonian could be making well over $4 million per fight.

And perhaps that’s where the UFC’s structure became unappealing to him. Recently, Erik Magraken, a combat sports regulatory lawyer tweeted about the policies that may have hindered Ngannou at the UFC. According to him, Ngannou having access to choosing his opponents is the game changer.

The UFC is good at making money. They calculate the kind of fights the audience wants to watch. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the fighters also want the same thing. Ngannou can now choose his opponents in boxing and he has. He will go back into the boxing ring. This time, with Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou to fight Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou is all set to get into a Saudi Arabia ring packed with spectators. The bout has just recently been confirmed with Anthony Joshua accepting it with swiftness. The date is March 8 per the latest announcements. We’ll most likely receive more details on the 15th of January. The London press conference will see details about the fight dropping.

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Joshua announced his acceptance of the bout in a hilarious way of his own. The heavyweight seems rather fond of the Grand Theft Auto game series since he quoted from GTA: San Andreas in a rather amusing fashion. “Ahh sh*t, here we go again.. 8/3/24” he wrote in a tweet.

Also Read: “That Boy Cashing Out and Taking Care of His Coaches” – Francis Ngannou Getting Massive Payday Against Anthony Joshua Has Ex-UFC Champ and UFC World Marvel at His Accomplishment