Francis Ngannou, the biggest free agent in combat sports, is expected to pursue a lucrative boxing match rather than returning to the UFC, according to a fellow UFC fighter.
Francis Ngannou, the biggest free agent in combat sports, has not yet signed with a new organization after reportedly turning down a multi-million dollar offer from the UFC. His next move is still being debated, and UFC President Dana White has stated emphatically that he’ll never invite Ngannou back to the promotion after negotiations between the two sides broke down in an attempt to keep the now-former heavyweight champion. However, White has been known to say similar things about other athletes never returning to the UFC, only to mend fences later on.
UFC Vegas 71 headliner Curtis Blaydes, who has faced Ngannou twice previously, doesn’t expect “The Predator” to return to the promotion, but not due to White’s stance. Blaydes shared his thoughts, saying, “I don’t think [he will return to the UFC] but my reasons for that are I believe he’s going to get a boxing fight — he only needs one to make $10 or $15 million. After you make $15 million, it’s hard to go back to $800,000 and he doesn’t want to have to deal with the grappling. He would rather just have to strike. That’s what he wants to do. I believe he’s going to be able to get a boxing fight, get the money and he’ll be good for life.”
Ngannou has long desired the chance to cross over to boxing, with the 36-year-old fighter teasing potential matchups with heavyweight boxers such as Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder. Any of these three fights could score him a lucrative payday, as boxers typically keep the lion’s share of the profits on a big pay-per-view event. UFC superstar Conor McGregor reportedly earned over $100 million for his 2017 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. While Ngannou may not be looking at that kind of money, he could still cash out with a significant eight-figure paycheck.
As for the odds of Ngannou beating one of the best heavyweights in boxing in his debut, Blaydes refuses to completely count him out. He recalls the power Ngannou can generate with his hands, only needing one glancing shot against anybody in combat sports to pull off an upset. Blaydes concludes, “The only reason he has a chance to beat those guys is because it’s heavyweight. If he was 155 [pounds] like [Conor] McGregor [no chance]. I never thought [Conor] was actually going to beat Floyd. Not for one second because it’s not heavyweight. He doesn’t have that one-punch knockout power, especially with those big gloves on. Ngannou is a heavyweight. He hits you one time, even with those gloves on, you can go to sleep. He’s got a shot.”