"That's where my mind is at" - Francis Ngannou reveals timeline for retirement from combat sports
Francis Ngannou is set to enter the boxing ring for the second time in his combat sports career when he faces Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this weekend. 'The Predator', who has shared that he will return to mixed martial arts at some point, recently gave a timeline for when he plans to retire from combat sports.
Speaking to Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on their podcast, Pound 4 Pound, the former UFC heavyweight champion was asked about his legacy, responding:
"When I retire from fighting, it's just the end of my combat sports career. I think I might retire around 40 [years old]. I'm thinking about 40 so in three, four years [from] now. That's where my mind is at. Then at 40, I still have maybe half of my life that I can do a lot of things."
Ngannou continued:
"I might have to go back to school, learn something that I want to really do and then start a new career so I'm just cementing the floor, the place for the legacy. I'm not doing the legacy yet. It's still going to be built. The biggest tower. Very, very big tower."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on his retirement from combat sports below (45:53):
Francis Ngannou is already 37 and will turn 38 on September 5th. It remains to be seen if he will decide to call it quits on a legendary combat sports career by the time he turns 40. If 'The Predator' can defeat Anthony Joshua this weekend, he could be in position to face the winner of the May 18th undisputed heavyweight title bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Francis Ngannou discusses final UFC payout, borrowing money from Kamaru Usman
Francis Ngannou, Kamaru Usman, and Israel Adesanya will forever be linked as 'The Three Kings' became the first African-born champions in UFC history. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' refused to pursue double champ status due to his friendship with 'The Last Stylebender', while both walked out with 'The Predator' during his professional boxing debut despite his ongoing feud with the UFC.
The former UFC heavyweight champion recently appeared on Pound 4 Pound, where he revealed the latest example of their strong friendship, 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!"
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on his final UFC payout and taking a loan from Kamaru Usman below (12:20):
Usman, who had never previously discussed the loan, attempted to steer the conversation away from the help he provided Ngannou. However, he received plenty of praise for doing so. 'The Predator', meanwhile, revealed that his UFC departure was not about money but instead about achieving the goals he set for himself.