Sean O'Malley thinks Francis Ngannou paid the price for "talking s***" about UFC
![Sean O'Malley (left), Francis Ngannou (right) [Images via Getty: UFC 269: Raulian Paiva v Sean O'Malley & UFC 249: Ngannou v Rozenstruik]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/01/a04fe-16433060779929-1920.jpg?w=500)
Sean O'Malley has stated that he believes Francis Ngannou is paying the price for "talking s***" against Dana White and the UFC in the buildup to his heavyweight title unification bout against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
Ngannou has been vocal in his desire for a better paid contract with the UFC due to his status as heavyweight champion. This has led to a prolonged and relatively well publicized contract negotiation between the two parties. Furthermore, Ngannou wants his new contract to allow him to box.
When Francis Ngannou unified the title at UFC 270, Dana White was not there to wrap the belt around his waist. White also did not attend the post-fight press conference.
#UFC President Dana White responds to accusations that he refused to award the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou at #UFC270 🤬
As the contract issues roll on...who will blink first? 😳
Dana or Francis? https://t.co/JifQugFmy0
Speaking on his YouTube channel, O'Malley hinted that a more subtle approach could have benefited the UFC heavyweight champion:
"If you're gonna go out there, and just talk s*** about the boss and the company, you can't just expect no backlash, right? I mean it makes sense that Dana's running a business and his heavyweight champion, the one that's the main f****** champion, he's the baddest dude on planet Earth – every interview he gets, talking s***. And I don't want to say talking s*** in a bad way. I guess he's just talking facts. But it is talking s*** and you can't do that to the UFC, can't do that to Dana, can't do that to your boss."
Check out the full episode below:
What could the next UFC fight for Francis Ngannou be?
It is hard to predict what the future holds for Francis Ngannou right now. His relationship with the UFC is strained. However, he remains the UFC heavyweight champion, having fought the last bout on his current contract.
The UFC will no doubt be looking to extend the contract and potentially book a superfight against former light heavyweight champion and GOAT contender Jon Jones.
Jones vacated his light heavyweight belt in 2020 with the aim of moving up to heavyweight. However, due to a number of factors, the transition has not materialized. The UFC are clearly hoping that 2022 will finally be the year Jones steps up and fights for heavyweight gold.