Ex-UFC star disappointed in Francis Ngannou's former colleagues for deserting him

Francis Ngannou departed the UFC in January following several years of negotiations with the promotion. 'The Predator' had asked for several concessions to be made, including fighter representation during negotiations and health insurance, but those were denied.

According to former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy, a precedent for better fighter care could have been set if other big-name UFC fighters stood tall with Ngannou during his parley with the company.

Hardy believes that until the most influential fighters in the promotion stand together and campaign for better fighter pay, amongst other things, nothing will change.

'The Outlaw' spoke to MMAFighting.com about his disappointment in the way the Francis Ngannou situation unfolded and said this:

"You look at what just happened to Francis Ngannou... It’s very exciting that he’s a free agent, but imagine if the moment when Ngannou stood his ground for the fighters, that one or two or three other champions maybe stood by him.

"We see a lot of people pose for photos with him but don’t stand by him. Because it’s going to make a difference for the whole entire sport, but these are the moves that people make movies about in the future. Ngannou, heavyweight champion, ambassador for the fighters."

See the post below:

Dan Hardy wishes more champions "stood by" Francis Ngannou.

📰 bit.ly/HardyNgannou https://t.co/fK5lKNhvM3

Francis Ngannou is now a free agent, and his eagerness to compete in professional boxing is well known. 'The Predator' has been called out by boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

'The Gypsy King' stated he would agree to a special rules boxing match, inside a cage while wearing 4oz gloves.

Ngannou's future remains unclear.

Former UFC champions chime in on Dana White's comments about Francis Ngannou

Dana White stated that Francis Ngannou wanted to fight "lesser opponents for more money" when explaining to the media why the former UFC heavyweight champion chose free agency instead of remaining with the promotion.

White has a reputation for labeling fighters "scared" if they do not abide by the UFC's negotiating policies. Recently, former champions Eddie Alvarez and Gray Maynard have shared their thoughts on White's comments about why Ngannou decided to take his talents elsewhere. They said:

"UFC simply lost the bid for Francis, instead of admitting that, they go with the narrative that the scariest motherf***er alive is afraid to fight in the UFC," said Eddie.

"You want more pay. 'Scared to fight.' Want a better contract. 'Scared to fight.' Want to test free agency. 'Scared to fight," said Gray.

See the post below:

Eddie Alvarez and Gray Maynard don’t seem to agree with Dana White on Francis Ngannou https://t.co/OOApB91o1z

White is arguably the greatest promoter in MMA history. However, it seems that his 'hard ball' tactics have begun to wear fighters' patience thin.