ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the withdrawal from bidding for Francis Ngannou‘s services, citing a lack of alignment on non-financial matters.
Francis Ngannou will not be joining ONE Championship after all, according to the company’s CEO Chatri Sityodtong. Sityodtong had announced earlier that he was planning to meet with the former UFC heavyweight champion on Saturday to present him the biggest offer out of all his bids. However, in a statement on Monday, he informed that ONE has decided to withdraw from the process of bidding for Ngannou’s services.
“After careful reflection, we decided not to submit our final offer,” Sityodtong said. “Francis is a good guy and a good champion. I wish him continued success and happiness. At the end of the day, I didn’t feel Francis and I were fully aligned on non-financial matters. It is nothing personal. It is just a lack of alignment.” No details about the conversation and what led to the final decision have been revealed, and Ngannou himself has not commented on the meeting with the head of ONE Championship.
Ngannou (17-3) parted ways with the UFC as the undisputed heavyweight champion, entering free agency while riding an impressive six-fight winning streak. His victories included former UFC titleholders Ciryl Gane, Stipe Miocic, Junior dos Santos, and Cain Velasquez.