Former UFC heavyweight champion and fighter Francis Ngannou has posted a video to his YouTube channel explaining why he left the UFC.
“I want to thank you for being so patient with me during this time. For my last fight, my surgery, and my negotiation behind the scene with the UFC. I want to thank the UFC fans who have supported me during this time, and thank to the UFC for the past 7 years.
I want to share my excitement for the heavyweight fight between Jon Jones and Cyril Gane. It’s going to be a very exciting fight, I’m going to be watching that fight, but we all know the term ‘undisputed’ mean nothing here. Yes, it really mean nothing,” Ngannou said to begin the video.
In the video Ngannou goes point by point and responds to claims made by UFC president Dana White. One quote Ngannou posted was of White at UFC Vegas 67 post-fight press conference explaining why he says Ngannou wanted to leave.
“You’re looking at you’re going to fight arguably the greatest fighter of all time. You’d be the highest-paid heavyweight ever in UFC history. Or you think there’s more money to out there to fight somebody who isn’t the greatest of all time. Somebody who is a lesser opponent,” White said at his post-fight scrum.
“You’ll have to ask Francis that question, but in my opinion, that’s what it is.”
Ngannou addresses this point head on.
“They have also said that I’m scared of fighting Jon Jones or somebody else which I don’t know they came from with that one. That sounds very ridiculous in my opinion with all due respect because I’ve been calling for this fight for over two years. I’ve been waiting for this fight forever.
And I’ve been fighting guys even with one knee, with injury. And now why (would) I be scared of them? Well I feel even more confident. No I’m not scared. The only thing that I’m scared of is to be trapped,” he says.
Ngannou speaks on only being afraid of losing his freedom which he says he values very much.
Ngannou even shows screen shots of a contract he signed with the UFC saying, even at the time, he knew it wasn’t a good contract.
“But I know I have to earn my position, become a champion, add more value, in order to negotiate a better deal for me, I need to add more value to myself. And that’s what I’ve been doing in the past 5 years.”
Ngannou explains that he wishes they were able to come to terms on a new contract
“Its just unfortunate that we didn’t come to (terms) which I wish we could have, but it is what it is. As an independent contractor I have to look (after) myself and do what’s right for me, and everyone out there should do the same for themselves.”
Ngannou went onto explain that he looks to take a boxing match next and then revisit the possibility of fighting for an MMA organization again.
Watch the entire video posted on Francis Ngannou’s YouTube channel above.
