Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane was "borderline crime" of 2022 - UFC veteran explains why
Chael Sonnen does not have many nice things to say about the heavyweight title fight between Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
According to 'The American Gangster', the matchup had an intriguing narrative going for it. But the two heavyweights did a poor job of promoting the fight and thus, resulting in underwhelming pay-per-view numbers.
"When I look back at 2022, when I look back at a borderline crime, I mean there was money taken for services that were not rendered. Does that sound legal to you? It was a borderline crime what Francis and Ciryl did. There has never, and I do literally mean never, been a storyline in heavyweight history like Francis and Ciryl... If you're not a hardcore fan... you really want me to tell you what the storyline was because you never heard it, did ya? You never saw that media tour. You never saw that blitz. You never saw those two guys... promoting or talking about or hyping that fight at all," said Chael Sonnen.
You can watch the video of Sonnen speaking about the fight below:
In January 2022, Francis Ngannous and Ciryl Gane faced off for a title unification bout in the year's first pay-per-view event. The storyline going into the fight was that of two athletes who used to be training partners, but would now be fighting each other for the UFC title.
Come fight night, 'The Predator' rose to the occasion and used his grappling prowess to get the better of Gane. The fight went the distance of 25-minute and ended with the Cameroonian getting his hand raised via unanimous decision.
What's next for Francis Ngannou?
At the moment, Francis Ngannou does not have a fight lined up as the heavyweight champion is recovering from knee surgery.
Ngannou is also engaged in some contractual disputes with the UFC regarding compensation for his appearances inside the octagon. As of today, the issue has not been resolved and thus, Ngannou's future in the UFC remains uncertain.
But according to the promotion's President Dana White, things are seemingly going in the right direction with Ngannou.
“I think that we’re heading in the right direction with Francis. There’s no doubt about it that this is where Francis should be and Francis should, you know, finish his legacy here at the UFC. And I think we’re pretty close to getting it done. We’re either all in or we’re not."
You can watch Dana White's interview for ESPN MMA below: