UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou defeated Ciryl Gane via a unanimous decision on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 270, but his future with the promotion remains unclear.
Ngannou spoke with the media in the post-fight press conference following the event and addressed his continued issues with the UFC. The 35-year old Cameroonian star reiterated they stem from other things besides financial reasons.
“It’s not simply money,” Ngannou said (h/t MMA Junkie). “Obviously, money is a part of it, but it’s also the terms of the contract that I don’t agree with. I don’t feel like it’s fair. I don’t feel like I’m a free man. I don’t feel like I’ve been treated good. It’s unfortunate that I have to be in this position, that I have to say that. I feel like everyone should have the right to claim for what’s best for them. At the end of the day, we put a lot of work for this job and we take a lot on our body to make it happen, so we can have a fair and square deal.”
He continued on to respond with the following when asked if he still wants to be a UFC fighter, given the problems that have transpired between himself and the promotion.
"It's been a long time, and a lot of things have been going on," Ngannou said. "At this point, I think my feelings doesn't matter. I've been feeling a lot of things in the past year. I've expressed my willingness to stay in the UFC, to have a contract. The only reason why we're here I think is because at some point, I wasn't respected. He (Dana White) could've taken way less to get this deal done, but he went to a power position and got everybody frustrated, got me frustrated, got me losing the desire of doing things. But I'm pretty good, trying to stay focused, just think about this sport, and nothing around it, and hope that these things are gonna go away."
Overcoming injuries. Putting everything on the line.
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) January 23, 2022
Take a bow, @francis_ngannou --#UFC270pic.twitter.com/JwXJD9fhYX
Fightful has all of your MMA and Boxing needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates, and predictions
