Aljamain Sterling discusses Francis Ngannou's mixed martial arts free agency
Francis Ngannou's Mixed Martial Arts free agency could be coming to an end as he has teased that he will make an announcement on Tuesday, May 16.
Aljamain Sterling recently weighed in on the former UFC heavyweight champion's free agency. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, 'Funk Master' questioned 'The Predator' reportedly turning down $20 million from ONE Championship, stating:
"Why not take the money and almost take like a Floyd Mayweather approach and build your own organization and have another avenue of competition for the fighters to go somewhere and compete, to showcase their skills, where you can now dictate and control, because if you're doing this in such a favorable way, it's easily going to attract up and comers to the point where it can start to become a premier organization."
05.16.23 🤫 https://t.co/pmy6toLkgR
Sterling chimed in on why people are so quick to say Ngannou made a mistake by leaving the UFC, noting:
"Fighters can be their own biggest downfall. This is why there will never be a union. You can hate me all you want, but it's some crab in the barrel motherf**kers. I was training down in Vegas. I had people talking s**t about me behind my back with the first Yan fight. People I've trained with, people's a**es I've kicked in the gym. I can only imagine for him the stuff people are saying behind closed doors. For me, I hope to see Francis win."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's full comments on Francis Ngannou below:
Aljamain Sterling talks Francis Ngannou.
#TheMMAHour https://t.co/SZf5YnIboe
While Ngannou will announce his next move on Tuesday, it was been widely reported that he will be headed to the PFL. It is unclear if he will receive more than the $20 million he reportedly turned down from ONE Championship.
Aljamain Sterling previously weighed in on Francis Ngannou's UFC departure
Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC drew plenty of reactions as he became the first reigning champion to leave the promotion since B.J. Penn in 2004. Aljamain Sterling previously weighed in on his departure.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the bantamweight champion blamed both sides before stating:
"Can he get the Tyson Fury fight? If he does that, okay, good for him, because I think that's going to do huge numbers... I look at the UFC - you let the baddest man on the planet walk - over what? Because the guy wants to do a boxing fight while he's still under contract? I mean, Conor did it, why can't Francis do it?... I don't know what the strategy really is. I just hope whatever he does, honestly, it's the best financial means for him."
Watch Aljamain Sterling discuss Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC below (starting at the 2:12:30 mark):
While it is unclear how much money Ngannou will make on his next contract, he appears content with his decision to leave the UFC.