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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 29: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon is interviewed after defeating Junior Dos Santos of Brazil by TKO in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Target Center on June 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 29: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon is interviewed after defeating Junior Dos Santos of Brazil by TKO in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Target Center on June 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Francis Ngannou shocked the world when he went up against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. The French Cameroonian fighter retained his heavyweight title, with a different approach.
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Ngannou is one of the heaviest hitters in the world. He has legitimate one-punch knockout power and has claimed most of his wins via T/KO. However, it was a patient champion that everyone saw on January 22. Even that didn’t take away the spotlight from his contract issues with the UFC.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, he talked about the problems with his contract and what changes he wants.
He said, “The term of the contract. Everything they have put into. They hold you like in captivity. You can’t do anything, you have no right. The contract is one-sided. Although you still don’t have nothing, you don’t even have health insurance. While you’re doing this, putting your body on the line to provide, to put on the show, risking everything.”
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“There’s a lot of things, man. We have no insurance, nothing, like no guarantee. Which I understand for independent contractors, but treat me as such then if I am. I mean, whether I’m going to be an employee or an independent contractor, but make it very clear in the contract.”
Dana White’s absence didn’t bother Francis Ngannou
One of the biggest talking points from UFC 270 was Dana White‘s absence after the Ngannou’s title defense. It is normal to see the UFC President hand the belt to the champion after the fight. While he did so with Deiveson Figueiredo, Mick Maynard presented ‘The Predator’ with the title.
This got the MMA community talking, but it didn’t bother the champion. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, he said that he didn’t care about it. Ngannou said, “Bro, I don’t care about that… I’m happy. That’s all that matters.”
Francis Ngannou wasn't bothered by Dana White's absence 🏆 #TheMMAHour
▶️ https://t.co/0svg11GNOB pic.twitter.com/P7LEZO7Qcq
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) January 24, 2022
White didn’t attend the post-fight press conference as well, and Ngannou didn’t notice that either.
It seems like the issue between the company and the champion is much bigger than initially thought. All of the MMA community would want the two parties to sort out the issues, as Ngannou is one of the most popular fighters on the roster.
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What do you think of the contract issues between the UFC and Francis Ngannou? Let us know in the comments!
