Francis Ngannou successfully defended his UFC heavyweight title on Saturday night. The Predator earned a hard-fought victory over Ciryl Gane, defeating him via unanimous decision.
It was an amazing display from Ngannou, who showed incredible desire and perseverance after a challenging start to the fight.
Unbelievably, he was also suffering from injury during the victory. The heavyweight champion tore his MCL just weeks before the fight. Despite the injury, Ngannou’s incredible fighting spirit could not be denied. The manner of this victory undoubtedly enhances his legacy as a modern great of the UFC.
Now, it appears that Ngannou has further battles to fight away from the octagon.
Fractured Relationship with UFC
The Predator has had a very public falling out with the UFC. He has previously expressed displeasure at the pay for his efforts. As a result, Ngannou has received support from outside the UFC world. For example, Jake Paul used Ngannou’s comments to add fuel to his own feud with Dana White.
However, Ngannou’s unhappiness is not just about pay. Speaking on The MMA hour, the heavyweight champ said he wanted “freedom”.
He stated: “I just want to be free. We are supposedly independent contractors, technically we are free.”
UFC contracts are very restrictive in what fighters can and can’t do. For example, they cannot box – something Ngannou is keen to do. The Cameroon native has promoted the possibility of a fight with Tyson Fury on multiple occasions
On the contractual restrictions, he mentioned: “They need some adjustment. That’s what I’ve been fighting for.”
UFC suing Francis Ngannou
The damaged rapport between Ngannou and the UFC appears to have reached a new level. Still speaking on The MMA hour, Ngannou revealed that his camp received an email from the UFC.
It detailed a lawsuit against Ngannou’s team, as they had held talks with Nakisa Bidarian, who is best known for being part of Jake Paul’s boxing promotion team.
Not only was it a shock to receive such an email, but his team were also sent it during his warmup on Saturday night, at UFC 270.
Read: Who is Jake Paul’s manager, the man Dana White calls a ‘warlock’?
Ngannou denied personally speaking to the management of Jake Paul. However, his Twitter spats with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury have sparked rumours of a fight.
The UFC suing Francis Ngannou puts more strain on the relationship between the two camps. It appears as though the giant star is set to leave the company.