Francis Ngannou discloses final UFC payout while also shedding light on borrowing money from Kamaru Usman
Francis Ngannou is set to return to the boxing ring for the second time in his combat sports career this weekend when he faces Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While the former UFC heavyweight champion had faced plenty of criticism for taking the risk of leaving the promotion, he has thrived since doing so.
Speaking to Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on their podcast, Pound 4 Pound, 'The Predator' discussed his departure from the UFC, stating:
"You were talking earlier about the contract that I turned down. Usman is here, he knew a lot about the stuff that I turned down from the UFC, the negotiation even my last fight in the UFC. You know I took $600,000 for my last fight in the UFC as opposed to $5 million that they were offering for the same fight. And I was broke. At the time I owed Usman, right here, I owed him $200,000. I was broke. It’s true!"
Ngannou reiterated that his departure was more about his goals than money, adding:
"What happened is I had something, I had a goal, I had my own way. I wanted something and then it couldn’t be delivered and I couldn’t sell out what I wanted just because of more money. Obviously I needed that money. Obviously I never had that amount of money."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on his final UFC payout and taking a loan from Kamaru Usman below (12:20):
While Usman steered the conversation away from the amount of money he let Ngannou borrow, he received praise from the mixed martial arts community for supporting 'The Predator' and never made the situation public. The loan is the latest example of the close friendship between the two fighters, who, along with Israel Adesanya, were dubbed 'The Three Kings' after becoming the first African-born champions in promotional history.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' famously chose not to chase double champ status due to his friendship with 'The Last Stylebender. The two also supported Ngannou by walking out with him during his professional boxing debut despite his feud with the UFC.
Frank Warren predicts knockout in Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua have both become synonymous with knockout power throughout their respective combat sports career. Speaking to the media at the open workout for the event, Frank Warren of Queensbury Promotions predicted a knockout, stating:
"I think it's going to be knockout chaos. I really do think that. There will be a knockout, no doubt about it at all. They're both big punchers and neither of them can afford to make a mistake and I think whoever's the first person to land a real hurtful punch, I believe, will then determine the fight."
Check out Frank Warren's comments on Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou below:
Warren added that Joshua will have to make Ngannou fight on his back foot to win the bout. The winner of the bout appears likely to face the winner of the undisputed heavyweight title bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on May 18th.