Francis Ngannou’s Dilemma
By Eddie Sanchez
Top Section was written prior to UFC 270, with updates featured in the bottom section.
There has been much talk regarding the UFC and their inability to pay their fighters top dollar. Often the noise comes from the boxing-side of the combat sports fence, and while the claim is generally true, it is important to note that not all boxers are paid what one would consider top dollar.
Of course, similar to the NFL and boxing, if the TOP stars are paid like top stars, then the general opinion of the sport is that the community as a whole is taken care of.
The noise will be at an all time high this weekend with regards to Francis Ngannou’s UFC contract. His unification bout against Ciryl Gane, the Interim Heavyweight Champion, will be the final of his UFC contract.*.
This is important for a multitude of reasons.
1. There is a HUGE asterisk — If Ngannou is successful in this bout, the Champions Clause will be triggered and an additional three fights will be added to his contract length.
2. The UFC is increasing the cost they charge fans for PPVs, live gates are at an all time high and all indications are pointing to substantial growth for the organization…. BUT… there have been no indications that they intend to increase fighter pay.
3. Ngannou has his sights set on Tyson Fury and boxing in general. Whether facetious or not, Ngannou started the chatter and fans have their heads turned.
Each of these points is at the top of mind for everyone in the industry. Dana White specifically has chimed in periodically.
“That’s part of my problem with this whole thing,” Dana White explained during a recent interview with Jim Rome. “You are talking about you don’t want to fight under your contract, he gets a piece of pay-per-view (PPV) like all the other champions do.”
“You worry about all of these other things, ‘I want to box Tyson Fury, I want to do this, I want to do that,’ you’re the underdog on Saturday,” White continued. “You are not some huge 10:1 favorite. Focus on beating Ciryl Gane. Win this fight and then you can talk about the possibility of other things.”
With this huge fight a little over 24 hours away (at the time of writing this article), Francis Ngannou has an interesting dilemma to ponder.
If victorious, three additional fights will be added to his contract under similar financial payouts to his current contract. Although Dana was coy with his suggestion, if UFC history is to tell you anything, the UFC will not renegotiate his contract to meet his financial demands if he is under a current contract — just look towards Jon Jones.
However, if he loses, his contract will end with the UFC and he will be free to transition to boxing. Two major caveats are that a loss would dampen the interest in a crossover bout and his UFC legacy would be greatly impacted.
In no way will a tank be in the cards, nor should it be suggested, but the ideas of pros and cons related to both winning and losing UFC 270 are intriguing.
Tune into the PPV this Saturday night (January 22, 2022) to get a better idea for what will happen next in Francis Ngannou’s career. This article will be updated following the bout.
—– UPDATED: January 24, 2022 —–
Francis Ngannou defended his title and now all eyes (and ears) are going to be focusing on his current contract situation.
The Bloody Elbow shed some additional light on the situation: “In an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Ngannou disclosed that his contract “is over after 5 years.” According to Ngannou he signed the agreement in December of 2017, but since UFC promotional agreements generally commence on the first fight of an agreement, which for Ngannou was UFC 220, the 5 year termination date should be January 20, 2023. A full year from now.”
So while the Champions Clause is currently effective, Ngannou has a maximum period attached to his contract which would make the Champions Clause valid only up until January 20, 2023.
So what does this mean?
From the UFC’s perspective, they have a year’s time to negotiate a new deal with Francis Ngannou to keep them fighting under their banner.
From Ngannou’s perspective, he essentially has to wait a year’s time before he can hop the combat sports fence and face someone like Tyson Fury.
From the fan’s perspective, there is hope that Ngannou can fight twice before the end of that January 20, 2023 date (assuming he walks at that time) to attempt to tie Stipe Miocic’s record for three consecutive title defenses in the UFC’s Heavyweight division. Even if he only fights once more, fans will be happy to see the champion at least one more time in action.
It’s likely that the UFC will will maneuver one of two ways with Ngannou for his next fight: Jon Jones or a rematch with Stipe Miocic.
Dana White is clearly threatened by Ngannou’s potential venture into boxing, and whether he and the UFC would like to admit it or not, they are on a shot clock.
“I walked into the room waiting for my manager, my coach,” Ngannou told the The MMA Hour. “They told me they just received an email from the UFC saying they’re going to sue [Martin] for talking with this guy, Nakisa (Jake Paul’s manager). Yeah. I’m like, ‘Who is Nakisa?’”
Actions speak LOUDLY and the actions from the UFC share signs of threat.
The two potential routes the UFC could take would accomplish similar goals. These would be opponents that could potentially beat Ngannou before he departs and they would provide HUGE PPV potential.
The hourglass has been turned upside down and time is ticking. Soon enough we will get better insight into the Francis Ngannou x UFC x Boxing saga.
