Francis Ngannou reflects on his contract stand-off with UFC; 'I don't have that freedom'

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has once again shown that he is becoming one of the revolutionists in UFC by lasing out at the MMA promotion while speaking about his contract stand-off. The Cameroon-born-French MMA superstar became the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion by defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last month, which was the last fight of his contract with the promotion. The fighter has earlier received multiple contact extension offers with UFC, but Ngannou has refrained from signing any deal until the fighter’s demand about better pay and a better life gets considered.

Meanwhile, Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul called out the UFC boss Dana White on Twitter after UFC 270 and said the heavyweight champion deserves respect and truth from the organisation. Agreeing to the accusations by Paul, Ngannou weighed in on the matter in the recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel.

Revealing his thoughts, Ngannou said there are a lot of terms in the contract that he doesn’t agree to. “And knowing that I'm counting on that to make my living, that was kind of like, I felt like I was freezed to get financial pressure, to maybe come to an agreement from what they are saying, to need them,” Ngannou added before admitting that he doesn’t want to be in the same situation anymore. 

Francis Ngannou says freedom very important to him

Ngannou further added that he is well acquainted with the contract for quite a time now as he has also sought lawyer advice for the same and found no good for himself. “But they still tell me that I'm an independent contractor, 'independent contractor'. Maybe because that's the way that doesn't guarantee me a monthly wage, or doesn't give me health care or something. I don't feel like an independent contractor. I don't have that freedom. Freedom, which is something very important for me as well,” the heavyweight champion explained.

Watch the full video on Francis Ngannou's Youtube channel:

A look at Francis Ngannou's journey in UFC

Ngannou won the UFC heavyweight title by defeating Stipe Miocic at 260 in March 2021. He currently has a UFC record 17-3-0 and won his first fight by a decision during his fight against Gane.

He has previously shown interest in stepping out of the octagon in order to fight professional boxing matches. He was linked with a heavyweight clash against current WBC and Ring Magazine heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.

(Image: @ufc/Instagram)