“It Hit My Ego”- Francis Ngannou Opens Up About His Controversial UFC Fallout Ahead of MMA Return
Francis Ngannou is currently scheduled to fight Philipe Lins in the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Netflix MMA event. The fight will take place this weekend inside the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, and the hype is massive.
It will be Ngannou’s return to MMA since his last title bout against Renan Ferreira back in 2024 under the PFL banner. Ahead of the bout, Ngannou is the betting favourite to win given his superior knockout power.
It’s been four years since Ngannou last fought inside the UFC Octagon before leaving the promotion. In a recent interview, the Cameroonian-French shared the behind-the-scenes of his fallout with Dana White‘s promotion.
“I think the mistake that the UFC did was they got to the point that hit my ego. I felt like I wasn’t respected, and that was the moment I was like, ‘I’m getting out of this contract.’ When something touches my ego, I don’t care about anything,” said Francis Ngannou via Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel.
Francis Ngannou left the UFC after contract negotiations collapsed because the promotion refused to offer him significantly higher financial compensation. Following his departure, Ngannou publicly criticized UFC leadership, while Dana White claimed the former heavyweight champion remained difficult to work with professionally.
Ngannou strongly denied those accusations afterward, insisting disagreements surrounded contractual freedom, financial respect, and fair treatment throughout negotiations. Since leaving the UFC, Ngannou participated in several massive boxing and MMA events, earning substantially more money than previously reported.
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Francis Ngannou discusses the possibility of Jon Jones attending his upcoming fight
Before leaving the UFC, Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones’ heavyweight battle was something that the fans wanted desperately. The bout never took place, but it certainly promoted both superstars to engage in an online altercation.
Ahead of the fight, Ngannou recently talked about the potential to see Jon Jones in his upcoming fight with Philipe Lins. “It’s going to be interesting to see Jon Jones in the same arena. … It’s very interesting to see how it’s going to be,” Francis Ngannou via presser.
Similar to Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones also experienced a major fallout with the UFC, damaging their longstanding professional relationship. Their respective departures from the UFC could potentially increase possibilities for Ngannou and Jones finally competing together inside another MMA promotion.
READ MORE: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano: Preview and Prediction
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