MMA News Roundup: Francis Ngannou looking for $30M payday after UFC, Joe Rogan talks about alien sightings, cut TUF fighter releases statement
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about Francis Ngannou's future, Joe Rogan talking about UFO sightings in the U.S.A., and more.
#3. Francis Ngannou seeking $30 million payday after UFC exit
Ali Abdelaziz has allegedly claimed that Francis Ngannou is looking for a sum as big as $30 million.
The information was revealed by Russian promotion Hardcore FC's chief Anatoly Sulyanov. He posted a screenshot on his Instagram story of a conversation with Ali Abdelaziz, in which the MMA manager is seen stating Ngannou wants "to make $30 million" for a fight.
Francis Ngannou wants to make $30 million for his next fight. Interesting that Ali Abdelaziz is helping him. https://t.co/TJz3NbOQ4t
After Ngannou's exit from the UFC, Sulyanov announced on social media that he had a deal in mind for the former champ. He offered 'The Predator' $3 million to fight Hardcore FC's heavyweight champion Soslan Asbarov in Dubai on March 18.
He added that the contract was already sent to Ngannou's manager. It is to be noted that Ngannou does not currently have a manager and has represented himself in negotiations with the UFC.
#2. Joe Rogan talks about alien sightings and their legitimacy on his podcast
The people of the United States are yet again talking about extraterrestrial life thanks to the recent declassification of redacted documents and other recent incidents.
Joe Rogan's latest podcast guest, American entrepreneur Eric Weinstein, weighed in on the matter. He suggested that the U.S. government was creating fabricated situations of UFO or alien sightings for reasons unbeknownst to him.
In response, a surprised Joe Rogan asked:
"You [are] 90% sure that this is not coming from here, you believe this because you don't think that the proper science in order to achieve these kinds of results is being done by the people that you believe are capable of doing it."
Weinstein agreed to the statement.
Listen to the full conversation here:
#1. TUF participant release statement after leaving the show
Kris Moutinho, a former UFC fighter, was supposed to feature in this year's The Ultimate Fighter. Unfortunately, he did not make it to the final roster of the show.
Addressing the situation, Moutinho penned on Instagram that he still plans on returning to the promotion. He also announced his next fight which will take place on March 15 under the banner of Combat Zone - a Fight Pass promotion.
Moutinho most notably fought Sean O'Malley on his UFC debut and lost via third-round TKO. After another loss in the promotion, he was released.
Moutinho's statement comes after rumors of Conor McGregor firing a few TUF participants surfaced.