If this is true – just wow.
Francis Ngannou is two things. UFC heavyweight champion and a scary, scary man.
He’s probably the most marketable champion (if done right) on the roster in terms of selling fights, with the right opponents. He’s a charismatic knockout artist with international appeal aka a teddy bear with a bad side. That may sound a little bit over the top but it’s true and it’s to make a point. He is the kind of guy you bend over backwards to renew a contract with but according to Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin it has been crickets from Dana White and crew for a while.
Here is some of what he said on Sirius XM’s “Throwing Down with Renee and Miesha.”
From my standpoint and his representation’s standpoint, the UFC is the best MMA promoter in the game and in the business. However, where a lot of people don’t want to come out and say is that it has to make sense for the client. It has to make sense for Francis… I work for Francis, and he and I spent a lot of time chatting back and forth and trying to understand, okay exactly what does that mean for his future, and we’ve had a lot of back and forth with the UFC. But to be honest with you, I haven’t heard back from the UFC since, I want to say June.
Now, know our position. We’re open to get a deal done. But they also know my phone number. They know how to get ahold of me. If they had an offer that made sense for them and for Francis, we’re open to entertain it.
Marquel Martin
If this is true then it is one of the most dumbfounding things of all time. Francis has a unification bout with interim champion Ciryl Gane on January 22nd at UFC 270. Gane is a real challenger so if this really is it for Francis in the organization it would be a banger of a finale.