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‘I Do Not Sign a New Deal’- Francis Ngannou Says He Has Been Pressured for a UFC Contract Extension

Published 12/26/2021, 11:42 AM EST

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The reigning heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, is planning to fight the last bout of his contract in 2022. He had already stated frequently that he only have a few fights left in his contract and hadn’t signed a new deal. Now the 35-year-old MMA fighter is in its last fight that will take place against interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in 2022. 

Francis appeared in Ariel Helwani’s show MMA hour and spoke about his current predicament and why he still hasn’t signed a new contract with the promotion.

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Francis Ngannou wants to re-sign on his own terms

Inadequate fighter pay and horrible pay structure have been a constant talking point within UFC. MMA fighters have long complained about the poor pay and, despite the massive uproar, things haven’t changed at all.

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Francis has found himself in a similar situation and stated that UFC doesn’t have his best interest in mind. Leading MMA journalist Ariel Helwani quizzed him about the current situation of his contract and whether he has signed a new deal.

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” No, I did not sign a new deal. First of all, there is a champ clause and as I said, they’ve been trying to apply pressure. With those extensions. But I do not sign a new deal, that’s basically my other issue. That’s what is causing all this issue. I don’t wanna sign a new deal on certain terms, who doesn’t work for me. I don’t feel protected in those terms. In the past 2 years, I fought twice, and I had to borrow money to live. Nobody cares about that I have no guarantee and I have no protection.”

Dana White has already stated that he would love to have him in the promotion. He stated he has no problem with Francis fighting out his contract. He also stated that as long as Francis remains the promotion’s world champion, he will have to remain with the promotion until he keeps the title.

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It looks like the only way out for the world champion is to vacate the title. What do you think will happen at UFC 270? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Written by:

Ayank Chourasia

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Ayank Chourasia is an eSports author at EssentiallySports. He has been writing since 2016 across various fields, having done his BBA from T.I.
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