ONE Championship has withdrawn from their negotiations with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou due to a "lack of alignment".
Ngannou, 36, split with the UFC in January after failing to reach an agreement with the promotion over a new contract. The Cameroonian was linked to a highly-anticipated title fight against Jon Jones but he opted to vacate his belt to pursue other options. Ngannou held talks with ONE boss Chatri Sityodtong this past weekend, but the two parties failed to reach an agreement.
"ONE has decided to withdraw from the process of bidding for Francis Ngannou’s services," Sityodtong told SCMP. "After careful reflection, we decided not to submit our final offer. Francis is a good guy and a good champion. I wish him continued success and happiness. At the end of the day, I didn’t feel Francis and I were fully aligned on non-financial matters. It is nothing personal. It is just a lack of alignment.”
