UFC boss Dana White insists Francis Ngannou 's future in the promotion is still bright despite the heavyweight champion still being out of contract.
Ngannou became a free agent after defending his title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January. The Cameroonian has no more fights left on his contract and is free to leave the promotion in December.
The UFC has offered Ngannou several new deals but he has turned all of them down, claiming the decision has cost him around £5million. 'The Predator' is pushing for better pay in his new deal and a clause that would allow him to box whilst under contract.
Speaking to The Underground about his relationship with the heavyweight champion, White said: "It’s the same as ever, there’s no lost cause. It’s all business and we’ll see how it plays out. We got Francis right now with his knee, we’re waiting on that, gonna see how long that’s going to be."
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Ngannou almost pulled out of his last title defence after injuring his knee ligaments just weeks before the fight. He opted to fight through the injury and wrestled his way to victory against his former training partner Gane, winning by decision for the first time in his MMA career.
The heavyweight champion is ruled out for the rest of this year after undergoing surgery for his knee injuries in March. After a "debilitating" first few weeks of recovery, Ngannou is confident he will make a return to light training in a few months.
"I'm not strong enough to [spar], I think I better just give it enough time to heal up at once, so I don't have to redo it," Ngannou said of his injury on his YouTube channel. "If I try to force it earlier, I think I might have to redo it, go over it again.
"So I better give it the time that it takes. I rest a lot, I'm not a pressure guy. I'll just relax, just know when to do what I have to do, and how to do it properly."
Ngannou teased a crossover fight with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury after the Brit's recent win. Whilst responding to a fan who questioned his fighting future, Ngannou dismissed any chance of retiring in the near future. “I’m just getting started bro! I have at least five more years to conquer everything," he replied.
