Francis Ngannou deciding to leave the UFC at the peak of his powers was a move that shocked the MMA world. ‘The Predator’ was the heavyweight champion of the world and seemed to have the world in the palm of his hands. But as he walked away from it all, he decided to leave the organization due to contractual issues with Dana White and the company. In a recent interview for The High Performance podcast on YouTube, he spoke about the entire situation.
Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes are the hosts of the podcast, and they bring on some of the best athletes in the world to talk about their journey.
In their latest episode, they brought on Francis Ngannou and asked him whether leaving the UFC scared him. Here’s what he had to say:
“Yeah, of course I mean you have this big corporation this big company that has a lot of power….And then you’re getting in the position that you’re losing them money.”
Francis Ngannou knew the risks associated with leaving the UFC. However, he was not willing to get paid less than what he thought he deserved.
In the end, it all worked out well for ‘The Predator’. He found success in the boxing ring, which also led to monetary success.
Has leaving the UFC proved to be successful for Francis Ngannou?
Following his departure from the UFC, the former champion signed with the PFL. Ngannou signed a lucrative deal that gave him equity in the company.
Francis Ngannou’s PFL deal includes:
• High 7-figure per fight guarantee
• $2M guarantee for his opponents
• A share of each event’s net profits
• Freedom to box & sign sponsors
• Equity in the PFL & Chairman of PFL AfricaSafe to say leaving the UFC was the right move. pic.twitter.com/E8AdCcAfL0
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 17, 2023
Apart from this, he also ventured into boxing. He had a mega fight against Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia and reportedly earned millions from that fight.
In one episode of The MMA Hour, he also revealed that the pay difference between his UFC contract and PFL contract was life-changing.
Francis Ngannou is now set to fight Anthony Joshua next. According to Forbes, the African star will reportedly earn $20 million from that fight.
FORBES PREDICT NGANNOU’S AJ EARNINGS
Forbes has predicted that Francis Ngannou will make an enormous $20 million (£15m) from his fight with Anthony Joshua, not including PPV and sponsorships
Ngannou reportedly made $600,000 from his last fight in the UFC.#JoshuaNgannou… pic.twitter.com/jycddhDMmK
— IFL TV (@IFLTV) January 8, 2024
In contrast, he reportedly earned a mere $600,000 from his last UFC fight. Safe to say, leaving the UFC proved to be a good decision.
