Francis Ngannou

Dana White says the UFC has released Francis Ngannou from all contractual obligations and waived matching rights, which now allows the former heavyweight ...

“I think he doesn’t want to take the risk,” White said of Ngannou. “We did everything we could to get him to take the deal. You’d be the highest paid heavyweight ever in heavyweight history, or you think there’s more money out there to fight somebody who isn’t the greatest of all time, somebody who is a lesser opponent. “You’re going to fight arguably the greatest fighter of all time. “More than [Brock] Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down. As a result, White said, Ngannou is officially a free agent with the UFC waiving all rights to match any other offers.

Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is released from the UFC. Jon Jones will return at UFC 285 to meet Ciryl Gane for the vacant title.

- Viviane Araujo vs. - Jon Jones vs. Gane lost a title unification bout to Ngannou, his former teammate, at UFC 270 in January 2022. “We’ve been negotiating with (Ngannou) for more than two years,” White said, and added that Ngannou’s knee, which recently was surgically repaired, could be an issue for him, as well. That same venue is set to host the March 4 event, which will air on pay-per-view following prelims expected for ESPN and ESPN+. He’ll meet Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the belt the UFC has stripped from

Dana White announced that heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou will be released from his contract after turning down an offer that would have made him the ...

He has only ever been knocked down once, by Aussie Tai Tuivasa, and has a record of 9-1 - his only loss coming to Ngannou last January. Ngannou is arguably the biggest free agent in MMA history and may now pursue his longstanding boxing ambitions. 'We offered Ngannou a deal that would make him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time,' said White.

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“I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk. White said the deal offered to Ngannou would’ve made the 36-year-old the “highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company”. Jon Jones will return to the Octagon for the first time in three years, while now-former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has become a free agent, UFC president Dana White has announced.

Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is released from the UFC. Jon Jones will return at UFC 285 to meet Ciryl Gane for the vacant title.

Francis Ngannou was released from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), president Dana White confirmed during UFC Vegas 67's post-fight press conference on ...

Francis Ngannou was released from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), president Dana White confirmed during UFC Vegas 67’s post-fight press conference on Sunday. Ngannou had grabbed the heavyweight title after securing a knockout win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in 2021. “We are going to release (Francis Ngannou) from his contract.

UFC president Dana White confirmed Jon Jones will face Frances Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in March after champion Francis ...

He feels like he's in a position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money, so we're going to let him do that and release him from our contract. "Francis is in a place now where he doesn't want to take a lot of risk. "We've been negotiating with [Ngannou] for more than two years," White said.