"I should not be needing to borrow money for my training camp" - Francis Ngannou hints at a move to boxing in order to get paid what he deserves
Francis Ngannou has hinted at a future switch to boxing in order to get the salary he thinks he deserves. Heavyweight boxers Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder earned huge paydays after their fight last weekend.
Remuneration for UFC fighters has been a big talking point recently. Names like Jake Paul have openly criticized the promotion's president, Dana White. UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has now brought up the issue as well.
In a recent edition of The MMA Hour, 'The Predator' claimed he'll leave MMA for boxing some day in the future due to the pay disparity between the two sports. When asked if he was unhappy with regards to Fury and Wilder earning more money than him, Ngannou said:
"Well, it [MMA] is more difficult [than boxing]. I feel I should not be needing to borrow money for my training camp. At some point, I'm gonna go after those money. I'm gonna go to that boxing for sure... I'm not challenging the system, I'm just saying my right."
Watch Francis Ngannou in conversation with Ariel Helwani below:
Ngannou is currently ranked No.5 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. He has won six Performance of the Night awards in his last 10 UFC fights, during which he's gone the distance only twice.
Francis Ngannou will take on Ciryl Gane in a unification bout at UFC 270
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is all set to square off against interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in a unification bout at UFC 270. The pay-per-view, which will be the first of 2022, will go down on January 22.
Ngannou won the heavyweight belt from Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in March this year. He won the main event clash via knockout in the second round.
Meanwhile, Gane claimed the interim championship with a TKO victory in the third round over Derrick Lewis. They fought for gold at UFC 265 in August.
Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane will fight to unify the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 270 on Jan. 22, multiple sources confirmed to @bokamotoESPN.
Contracts are not yet signed, however both sides have agreed. The date was first reported by French media outlet La Sueur. https://t.co/NMRbrHEHpg
Francis Ngannou currently holds a 16-3 record in his MMA career. He is on a five-fight win streak at the moment. He finished four of those victories in the very first round.
Ciryl Gane, meanwhile, hasn't lost a single bout in his career so far and is 10-0. 'Bon Gamin' has had three UFC main event victories in 2021.