"But if you pass up four fights to get there..." - Chael Sonnen believes Francis Ngannou could make $15 million fighting Tyson Fury, but questions if it makes sense
Chael Sonnen chimed in on Francis Ngannou's assertion that he wants to fight Jon Jones when he makes his long-awaited heavyweight debut. Sonnen also weighed in on 'The Predator's hankering to go and fight two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury inside the squared circle.
Francis Ngannou is currently convalescing from knee surgery that has kept him away from the octagon since January of this year. The Cameroonian has been openly vocal about the monopoly of the UFC and has hit out at the UFC's top brass for their unfair payment structure. Ngannou has also expressed his desire to test himself inside the boxing ring and chase a big payday.
While scrutinizing the sitch, Chael Sonnen saw resemblances in Ngannou's situation with the one that Nate Diaz was in. The Stockton native successfully fought out his contractual obligations with the UFC while not letting out any concrete information regarding his future endeavors.
Sonnen took to his Youtube channel to claim that while it would be great for Francis Ngannou to chase a big money fight with Tyson Fury, passing up four fights in the UFC for a payout that could potentially amount to the same value would not be wise:
"I think Francis could do about $15 million to fight Tyson [Fury]. But if you pass up four fights to get there... Now that's to each his own. One guy may go, 'I don't want to go four fights for $15 million if I can go one time for $15 million.' Okay! You could do that."
Sonnen added that while MMA fighters are lured to boxing with money, he isn't entirely sure that might be true:
"You get a calculator out and tell me the number. By x date, by January 1st of 2022, what were your earnings in this period? I'm just talking about that final number. I'm not convinced that they are so big and beautiful in boxing."
Watch the video from the 7:30 mark below:
Why does Francis Ngannou want to fight Jon Jones?
Francis Ngannou was last seen in the octagon against former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in a title unification bout. Ngannou passed the test with flying colors and emerged victorious as the undisputed heavyweight champion in the UFC.
AND STILL UNDISPUTED UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! 🏆
48-47
48-47
49-46
@francis_ngannou goes the full 25 minutes and takes it on the judge's scorecards! 💪
#UFC270 https://t.co/z7DVO2osp4
While he has been sidelined from action owing to knee surgery, there has been talk of a superfight with the former two-time light heavyweight champion and arguably one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, Jon Jones.
In a recent interview with Jimmy Smith on the MMA on SiriusXM podcast, Ngannou claimed that a fight with Jones would be a great test for him:
“Fighting Jon Jones is more than a payday, it makes a big statement. It’s a big challenge. I mean, the man dominated the sport for over a decade, so I think he’s a good test.”
Francis Ngannou also claimed on the podcast that he considers Jon Jones the greatest fighter to step inside the otcgaon and a move to heavyweight wouldn't be a backbreaking task for the American.