Francis Ngannou is in an interesting predicament with the UFC, with the athlete considering his future with the company because of his low paycheques.
Before his title defence against Ciryl Gane, Ngannou revealed that he was unhappy with his $600,000 purse. After all, that figure is significantly lower than the $25 million boxing king Tyson Fury received for his eleventh-round stoppage victory over Deontay Wilder.
So it comes as no surprise that ‘The Predator’ seemingly wants to test himself in the ring. The devastating puncher spent the lead-up to his last contest bickering with the ‘Gypsy King’.
That isn’t something that has impressed the UFC. Ngannou recently revealed that the UFC are suing him and his team over talks with Jake Paul’s manager about boxing.
Joe Rogan wants Fury vs Ngannou
In a move that will potentially annoy the company, their commentator made his feelings known on a recent edition of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
He said: “I want to see him box because I want to see him get a giant chunk of money – like, Conor McGregor-style, Floyd Mayweather chunk of money. Because when Conor fought Floyd Mayweather, he made $100 million. I think that’s nice. I’d love to see that. If (Ngannou) fought Tyson Fury, how much money would they be able to make?”
It’s almost impossible to create a fight with all the ingredients to captivate the general public. But with the combination of Ngannou’s punching power and Fury’s ability to enthral the combat sports world on the mic, this contest could exceed all expectations. And create a lot of money in the progress.
Rogan added: “It’s off the pay-per-view. It’s off what they could sell. It would have to be very marketable. Tyson Fury is very marketable. Francis Ngannou is very marketable, especially as a UFC heavyweight champion going up to fight in boxing.
“It would be weird to see Tyson Fury like a legit 5 inches taller than Francis Ngannou. Oh yeah, Tyson Fury is 6 ft 9. I think Francis is 6 ft 4 or 6 ft 5. I’m not sure.”
But despite Rogan’s enthusiasm for the mega-collision, the UFC’s MC, Bruce Buffer, has warned Ngannou about the risks of walking away from his heavyweight championship and moving to boxing.
Bruce Buffer warns Francis Ngannou that leaving the UFC is a bad idea
The brother of Michael Buffer has announced fights for the UFC since 1996. The 64-year-old’s voice has become synonymous with the company. Therefore, his opinion holds a lot of weight within the MMA community.
He welcomed the UFC heavyweight king onto his podcast, It’s Time, and warned him of the potential repercussions of leaving the promotion where he has made his name.
He said: “No offence to other organisations, but you become irrelevant when you leave the UFC after a while. Instead of losing in the UFC, your contract is being ended in the UFC, and you fall from the Octagon down into the Bellators.”
Read: Francis Ngannou next fight: Five potential opponents for ‘The Predator’
The Cameroonian suffered a torn MCL during his last training camp and a damaged ACL. This could see him rendered to the sidelines for an entire calendar year. But on the bright side, this has given him a lot of time to ponder over his next move, whether it be boxing or MMA.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
