Conor McGregor has suggested Francis Ngannou was wrong to vacate his UFC title and leave the promotion.
Ngannou was embroiled in a lengthy contract dispute with the UFC and finally decided to end his term with the promotion after failing to agree a new deal. He announced he would vacate his heavyweight crown and pursue alternative options for his fighting career including a potential lucrative stint in the boxing ring.
There are now a number of options on the table for the Cameroon star which could include a two-fight deal with Deontay Wilder later this year. However despite the wealth of opportunities that lay in waiting, McGregor believes the shine was taken away from Ngannou at the end of his UFC stint with the contract situation brewing in the background.
"He [ Francis Ngannou ] was in that Performance Institute, using all the equipment, there was no dough on that, you know?," McGregor said during an appearance on the MMA Hour when discussing Ngannou's UFC departure. There wouldn't have been no charge on that. Like he's gonna get accommodation, he's getting everything sorted.
"I thought he made an error to be honest. I mean he hasn't fought in a minute. Get a bout under the belt and then maybe start. I wasn't sure why he done that to be honest and you know, it has kind of taken the shine off of him, how it went but look, I wish him well."
One of the central reasons Ngannou decided to depart was his inability to negotiate fights outside of the UFC while tied down to his contract. This was particularly frustrating for 'The Predator' given McGregor's boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, which he managed to convince Dana White to stage and it saw unprecedented success.
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White always had a different stance on Ngannou fighting in the boxing ring, insisting his verbally-agreed clash with Tyson Fury would not generate anywhere near the same interest and revenue. Now there are several options on the table for Ngannou who may be able to compete both in MMA and boxing via a contract with promotion PFL.
Ngannou has now stated he is made a decision on his future and is waiting to put the plans in place. “I have made a decision,” he told The MMA Hour. “Without making a done deal, I know what my next move is going to be. I know that I want to fight boxing first and then after that I will fight MMA. I’m going to sign with one MMA promotion. I haven’t made a decision on that yet, [but I’m] very close. ...
“PFL and ONE FC right now, we are very close. I’m going to do what I’m doing, and what is interesting about it, obviously there is huge money down here, but also, most of this deal has been viewed as a partnership, which is great for me. I feel well-respected, appreciated. It is different."
