UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou says he won’t re-sign with the UFC unless a fight with Tyson Fury is included in the deal.
Ngannou is adamant about getting a fight with boxing champion Fury, despite being locked in a contract dispute with the UFC. Following a successful championship defence against Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 270, Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) fought out his contract in January. In December, he will become a free agent.
The Cameroonian has been candid about his problems dealing with the UFC’s top brass. Despite the enmity between the two sides, Ngannou is still interested in re-signing with the UFC, but only on one condition.
“The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion,” Ngannou said during an interview on “The MMA Hour” on Monday. “That’s not an option. It has to be part of the discussion because if that’s not part of the discussion, it will never be. If I sign another contract now, basically the same model of the contract, I’m screwed. That’s not happening ever. So we have to figure out a way to implement this into a contract.”
Francis Ngannou wants to continue fighting in UFC after Fury fight
Ngannou may face Fury without the UFC’s involvement by waiting till his UFC championship clause expires. After that, he sees a future in MMA and believes the UFC is the best location to continue fighting.
“I think the UFC is a good promotion, and I want to keep fighting,” Ngannou said. “The Tyson Fury is not my last fight. I want to keep fighting. After Tyson Fury there’s still a lot of fights. There’s the Jon Jones, there’s the Stipe trilogy.
“There’s big fights I can do in the UFC, and I would really like that to happen. I would really like us to get to a common point. Yes, I can do the Tyson Fury fight on my own, but what’s next? I would like to keep fighting. I would like for us to come to an agreement.”
Francis Ngannou upset with the way things are with the UFC
For the time being, Ngannou says there hasn’t been any progress with the UFC on his contract status. There have been a few conversations since his last fight, but none have resulted in him agreeing to a new contract.
“We had a dinner with the UFC, and that wasn’t about the contract situation. That was just about clearing the air because it is clear at this point that we had to clear the air,” said Ngannou, recovering from a knee surgery.“It was just to clean things out, speak things out, and we kind of just spoke. I was speaking about my frustration, but also I had to go back home because it’s not a thing that’s supposed to be solved in one night or over one or two dinners.
“It might take some time. I went home and saw my family and came back and had the surgery. … As far as business, we haven’t really moved on. I think just now what they’re trying to do is clear the air.”
