UFC heavyweight star Francis Ngannou is no longer with the promotion. President Dana White claimed that the 36-year-old fighter refused a contract renewal with the UFC. He was set to be the highest-paid heavyweight as per the new contract he was offered. However, Ngannou has come clean about the situation in a recent interview with famed combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani.

Francis Ngannou boasts a UFC record of 17 wins and 3 losses. He was the promotion’s heavyweight champion at the time of his release. Ngannou had only one title defense in the UFC. But Dana White decided to vacate the heavyweight title. Now, Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane will battle it out for the heavyweight title at UFC 285.

“We offered Francis a deal that would’ve made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company, more than Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down,” said White. However, Ngannou talked about his recent departure from the UFC with Ariel Helwani and claimed that he never envisioned himself outside of the premier MMA promotion.

Francis Ngannou claims that it was never about money with the UFC

Francis Ngannou claimed that his staying in the UFC was never about the money, but about principle. “it wasn’t all about money, you know. I need some stuff and they will never talk about that stuff,” said ‘The Predator’. He added, “They don’t talk about what the negotiation was about. They just talk about the money they give that could have made me the biggest paid heavyweight.” Ngannou also mentioned that what Dana White said was UFC’s narrative.

Francis Ngannou mentioned that he wasn’t expecting a lot of things. But, his proposal was the ability to have sponsorship. He said, “I asked for a sponsorship, the right of a sponsorship …I asked for health insurance, couldn’t have. I asked for somebody in the board meeting who will advocate for a fighter …I couldn’t have those stuff.” The ‘Predator’ wanted to be sure that he had something that he did want, but was unable to get those things in line.

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Francis Ngannou also mentioned that he was offered 8 million dollars to fight UFC legend Jon Jones, but ‘The Predator’ refused the offer. He has received a lot of offers from various promotions, including BKFC, since his departure from UFC. Where do you think Ngannou is going next? Drop your comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: Freedom or Legacy? Dana White offered a tough choice for Francis Ngannou