Francis Ngannou is four days away from the biggest fight of his life. The former UFC heavyweight champion gambled massively by leaving the UFC and the risk has since paid off for him. Ngannou stands to make over $10 million in his fight against Tyson Fury. The two heavyweight juggernauts are set to clash in Saudi Arabia on the 28th of this month. Ahead of the fight, Ngannou was spotted showing off a $145,000 gift he received from soccer legend and global icon Cristiano Ronaldo on his Instagram.
Ngannou always had a tumultuous relationship with the UFC. However, after his final deal got over, ‘The Predator’ decided it was time to take matters into his own hands and free himself from the UFC. Since then, Ngannou has signed with the PFL and achieved a long-time dream of his, a boxing match on the biggest stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s gift to Francis Ngannou
When it comes to sportsmen, it is hard to find any bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese footballer is one of the most famous athletes in the world. Ronaldo also happens to be a massive fan of combat sports.
Although he has not attended any UFC events, he regularly interacts with and meets UFC fighters. Ngannou and Ronaldo first met in January this year.
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Ahead of his fight against Fury, Ngannou received a token of support from Ronaldo. In a video posted on Instagram, Ngannou thanked Ronaldo for gifting him a $145,000 watch. The watch in question is a Jacob &Co Epic X ‘Flight of CR7’ in 18k rose gold.
It is limited to 100 units worldwide. The watch is heavily inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo and features 24 baguette-cut diamonds. With all the hype building up, let’s take a look at what Francis Ngannou stands to earn more than bragging rights.
Ngannou set to exceed his lifetime UFC earnings
One of the main reasons why Ngannou decided to leave the UFC was that he felt he was not being compensated fairly. Needless to say, Ngannou and Dana White clashed often over this topic with neither side budging from their stance. Since being a free agent, Ngannou has secured the biggest possible fight that he could have in the sport of boxing.
According to reports, he is set to make north of $10 million from this fight. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Ariel Helwani asked Francis Ngannou’s representative if he would be earning more in this fight than his entire UFC career. To which Martin said,
“Oh, my God. I mean, by far – by multiples. Just to make [this money] even while being champion, he would’ve had to fight multiple times, just to [be in this ballpark].”
Needless to say, it looks like Ngannou’s decision to bet on himself is turning out to be the right one. However, it remains to be seen how he fairs against one of the best boxers inside the ring.
