Ex-UFC fighter advises Francis Ngannou to plead with Dana White to return to the UFC
Francis Ngannou has been encouraged to beg UFC president Dana White for a second chance by former middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen.
Despite being offered a new contract, Ngannou decided to leave the promotion and relinquish his heavyweight crown early this year. With many offers on the table, including one from Deontay Wilder, “The Predator” is currently weighing his choices.
Besides the UFC, the Cameroonian star has been in talks to continue his MMA career with the PFL and YouTube star Jake Paul. Even though Ngannou’s future is still up in the air, UFC great Chael Sonnen thinks Ngannou was taken by surprise by an offer from Tyson Fury that isn’t likely to materialise.
Francis Ngannou is said to have wanted a hefty payday for bare-knuckle combat. In the wake of his UFC withdrawal, Francis Ngannou was criticized for “shooting himself in foot.”
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Chael Sonnen stated:
“Tyson Fury put out an April 1 joke on social media that he and Francis was done, and they are fighting in Wembley on May 1. Tyson Fury made a joke. Francis has changed his whole life… Because he thought he was going to make up a sport and do it with a guy who is now using it as an April Fool’s joke. He has to wake up, and he needs to call back his boss [Dana White]. “
“There are not a lot of (opponent options). If we’re playing chess here, I don’t have two or three steps for Francis. I don’t know how old Francis is. He says he’s 36. He’s at least 36. I don’t know how old he is. I’m not sure he knows how old he is. I don’t bring that up to try to be funny. His body has already given out on him.”
What did Dana White say about Francis Ngannou returning to the UFC?
After Francis Ngannou and the UFC were unable to come to terms on a new contract while he was still heavyweight champion, Ngannou severed all connections with the organization. UFC president Dana White revealed that Francis Ngannou was given a deal that would have made him the most-paid heavyweight in mixed martial arts history. The 36-year-old Cameroonian fighter had other goals than making a lot of money.
Ngannou has been outspoken about his desire for more autonomy in the creative process in upcoming contracts, saying he felt the UFC was telling him to accept the money and keep quiet at various points during negotiations. During those same contract talks, Ngannou says he proposed fighter health insurance and asked for an advocate to participate in future contract discussions as a fighter representative against the promotion.
Dana White was asked by reporters after the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 285 if the promotion could reopen talks with Ngannou to face the winner of Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane. White simply replied:
“No. We negotiated with him for years. It’s over, that’s over. He’ll never be in the UFC again. Yeah, I never say never, but I’ll give you a never on that one. We tried.”
More MMA news
- Conor McGregor calls Khabib Nurmagomedov “homophobic” in crazy deleted rant
- Kamaru Usman open to Middleweight move after UFC 261 but on one condition
- Jiri Prochazka says Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor and others inspired him
Follow our dedicated MMA page for instant MMA news and update
