‘Already Forgotten’: After Daniel Cormier, Ex-Star Gets Honest on Francis Ngannou’s Boxing Move Amidts UFC Return Rumours

Francis Ngannou, once the heavyweight champion in the UFC, cut ties with the organization back in January 2023. This was a move that shocked a lot of people, but he did it because he had a lot of issues with how the company was run and always advocated for higher pay.

Standing his ground, the Cameroonian fighter did not bow to the pressure from Dana White or anyone in the organization. Consequently, he joining the PFL, Ngannou then trained with Mike Tyson and prepared to take on the former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

While he would narrowly lose to Fury in a controversial decision, a follow-up fight with former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, Ngannou would still rake in millions, and then move back to MMA and become the PFL heavyweight champion.

However, more than half a year later, his stock seemed to have considerably gone down, with former UFC champion Daniel Cormier claiming that the Joshua loss hurt him financially. And now UFC vet Matt Brown has joined in on the conversation with a different argument about what really hurt Ngannou.

In an interview with MMA Fighting, he put across his points, “I think [leaving the UFC] damaged [Francis Ngannou’s] legacy tremendously.” Brown argued.

“Financially, it lined his pockets. He did great. Ultimately that’s what this is, it’s prize fighting – he got the biggest prize. Who are we to say he made a mistake?” Brown argued.

However, fans did not seem to agree with Brown. They argued that he did much better after leaving the UFC and ultimately got what he wanted: better pay.

Notably, fans also got to see ‘The Predator’ back in the UFC last weekend thanks to former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Ngannou, along with Usman and former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, were part of a faction of African champions in the UFC, called the ‘Three Kings’.

Ngannou congratulates Usman

Usman shocked everyone when he brought out Ngannou on a UFC platform after 3 years. Notably, since his departure from the promotion, UFC boss, Dana White has continued his public tirade against Ngannou, much to the annoyance of fans on social media.

The bossman has also been accused of trying to erase his name from the promotion’s records; something White has denied.

Meanwhile, Usman himself was returning to the octagon after years and a 3-fight losing streak. This was a big match for Usman; another loss would see his stock go down drastically in the division. But he pulled out an impressive win against the young challenger Joaquin Buckley and challenged the next welterweight champion.

Impressed by what he saw from Usman, ‘The Predator‘ tweeted out in support after the conclusion of UFC: Atalanta.

“Congrats to my brother @USMAN84kg for his amazing victory last night. It’s inspiring to see him do that after all he’s been through lately.” Ngannou congratulated him.

Interestingly, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has named Ngannou as a favorite for his next fight. Claiming that he doesn’t have that many dates in him, Jones argued that instead of wasting his time on interim champion Tom Aspinall, he would like to take on a star like Ngannou.

While Ngannou has yet to comment, it is highly unlikely that the Cameroonian can find his way back to the promotion. That said, stranger things have happened.