Chael Sonnen explains why Francis Ngannou's request to Dana White regarding re-negotiations after every fight was 'hugely disrespectful'
Chael Sonnen is giving this weighing in on UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou's contract talks with Dana White and is giving fans his views from a promoter's perspective.
Sonnen uploaded a video to his YouTube channel stating that Francis Ngannou's request for a re-negotiation his contract after every fight is disprespectful to White:
"He believes that that's resonable. And the reason I tell you it's disrespectful...If I'm the business guy and I'm taking all the risk but I'm guranteeing it not matter how bad it hurts - those numbers right now - on time every time, I'll figure it out. There's an appreciation that must be shown."
'The American Gangster' alluded to the promotion's roster having 500+ fighters and that it would be 'ridiculous' for White to re-negotiate after every fight. With that being said, Sonnen viewed the situation from White's point-of-view and mentioned that constantly re-negotiating with the heavyweight champion would essentially slow things down for the promotion:
"I don't know what's gonna come in, that's a risk every time, but I can know what's going out. And you wanna talk? You wanna slow me down? Should we do lunch? I mean, can we just get out a calculator and a calendar?...I have 556 of you and I do this every Saturday...And that's where I tell you the lack of respect comes. That's silly and that's ridiculous, and that's not the way it's done."
'The Predator' last fought at UFC 270, where he defeated Cyril Gane via unanimous decision to retain his UFC heavyweight championship. After the fight, it was revealed that the heavyweight champion underwent knee surgery and would be out of action for an extended period of time.
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What's next for Francis Ngannou?
A good sign for Francis Ngannou’s future in the UFC? đŸ¤” https://t.co/KxGySB7xlC
Francis Ngannou is currently recovering from his knee surgery and is negotiating a new contract with the UFC.
During the UFC 281 post-event press conference, UFC President Dana White mentioned that the promotion is hopeful that Ngannou will defend the heavyweight championship against former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
'The Predator' will need to come to terms on a new contract with the promotion first, but it's likely that cooler heads will prevail as it would be a massive loss if he left for a more lucrative offer elsewhere.