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Francis Ngannou is in an unprecedented situation with the UFC. His current contract has no fights left, and the only thing that’s holding him from being a free agent is the UFC HW championship.

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Ngannou unified the UFC HW championship at UFC 270 in his last contractual fight with the UFC. Even though Ngannou may very well sign with the UFC again and everything will get resolved in a matter of one signature, it does not seem UFC is ready for that.

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Ngannou is not demanding extra money to fight for the UFC. His goal is to have both MMA and boxing fights. Even though the UFC promoted the boxing fight of Conor McGregor, UFC president Dana White has often said in public, “if you’re not him [Conor], just shut up.

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Opening the door of boxing for Ngannou, especially in the contract, would open a door for other fighters to claim their rights to do the same. Ngannou has not renewed his UFC contract with the UFC, even after the promotion has tried to offer him lucrative deals. Clearly, Ngannou is ready to walk away from the UFC, if the company keeps overlooking his demands.

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Francis Ngannou approves a fight between Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane

Curtis Blaydes has a fight he wants, and that’s the former interim HW champion, Ciryl Gane. Interestingly, Ngannou out-wrestled Gane in their match, and Blaydes relies on his wrestling.

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Ciryl Gane is primarily a Muay Thai fighter who has adopted his style for MMA with decent takedown defense and submission offense from his back. If he fights Blaydes, most of the fight can play on the mat. So, Gane will have a tough matchup in Blaydes who has a very wrestling-heavy style.

Blaydes has beaten former champions and made it look easy. Also, his only losses are Ngannou and Lewis. Even in those fights, his opponents shut his lights, and they weren’t able to beat Blaydes bell to bell.

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WATCH THIS STORYBest Fights From UFC 270 Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane

This fight, as Blaydes suggested, makes sense for both the fighters. Gane requires an opponent who can test his wrestling skills and Blaydes has fought almost everybody at the top of the division apart from Gane. Another fight that these two could have is the Stipe Miocic fight, but the greatest HW is waiting for his trilogy bout with Ngannou.

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What do you think you this matchup between the top two HWs? Will Ngannou stay with the UFC? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Written by

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Deepak Kumar

1,085 Articles

Deepak Kumar is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. His love for MMA comes from the chaos and violence the fight business brings to the table. A BJJ aspirant, Deepak began following the sport as a casual fan when Ronda Rousey was finishing her opponents in seconds. Now, a hardcore fan of names like Petr Yan, Charles Oliveira, and Tony Ferguson, he just can't even miss a single fight. This has helped him develop a passionate understanding of the sport that he hopes to translate into his work. When not working, he likes to hang out with his squad.

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