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Parting ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship was a carefully considered decision for former heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou left the promotion at the beginning of the year after contract negotiations spanning over a year fell through. While the major bone of contention between the two parties was Ngannou wanting to compete in crossover boxing matches, “The Predator” also had other demands. The Cameroonian had touched upon important issues like like health insurance for fighters, a fighter advocate at board meetings and a new sponsorship deal.
At the end, Ngannou was absolutely sure about exiting the UFC when he did. The 37-year-old went on to secure a multi-fight deal with the surging rivals of the UFC, the Professional Fighters League. He later secured a boxing match against Fury, which went down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 28, reportedly resulting in a payday of more than $10 million for the former sand mine worker. “The Predator” lost a controversial split decision despite shocking the world with a third-round knockdown against the WBC heavyweight champ.
However, in a recent interview on "The MMA Hour," Ngannou claimed that he wouldn’t regret parting ways with the UFC even if the Fury fight or the PFL deal never came about.
“You have to understand something: Things have played out for me perfectly, maybe even more than anyone expected,” Ngannou said. “But let me tell you this: Let’s say after the UFC, after [leaving the UFC], I didn’t have any of those contracts, whether it was the PFL contract or the Tyson Fury fight contract, I wouldn’t regret it. You know, it wasn’t an overnight decision. It was a decision that I thought about. I thought about it many times.
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