Francis Ngannou has been warned he won't get anywhere by continuing to negotiate a new and improved deal with the UFC.
Heavyweight champion Ngannou, 36, hasn't fought since seeing out his UFC contract by defending his belt against former sparring partner Ciryl Gane in January. The Cameroonian, who is free to leave the UFC at the end of this year, revealed the promotion is yet to offer him a new deal. Ngannou wants improved conditions in his new contract, such as more money and the ability to compete boxing whilst in the UFC.
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen thinks Ngannou is wasting his breath by demanding an improved deal, stating on his YouTube channel: "Francis has said there's no new contract that's been sent over and he's in no hurry. Francis has one skill. He's a really big man and he can hit people and knock them down. There's nothing else to put on a resume. He worked very hard for that skill, dedicated his life, but there's nothing else to put on a resume.
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"He's coming off of an injury in the most coveted division in combat history that nobody's watching. The fans are not taking to the streets with the pitchforks and the lanterns that you thought they were going to. Business is fine without him. Francis has not misplayed or negotiated himself out of anything, he had a theory and he tested it."
Ngannou has received backing from YouTube star Jake Paul in his bid to negotiate a better deal with the UFC. The heavyweight champion has previously stated he feels "unprotected" in certain terms of his contract and thinks the promotion should reconsider individual sponsorship deals for fighters, which were banned when the Reebok deal was introduced in 2015.
“I would like the UFC to consider their position in a lot of things now regarding to fighters," Ngannou told MMA on SiriusXM. "I think fighters should also have the right to put a sponsor on their shirt, not just for the company to make money out of it. We should have some sort of way to check and approve certain sponsors so you can bring a sponsor inside [the UFC] and make money out of it."
Ngannou has been linked to an exhibition fight with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, with the pair meeting in the ring after Fury's knockout win against Dillian Whyte in April. 'The Predator' revealed he wants to fight former pound-for-pound No.1 Jon Jones in his return fight, targeting spring of next year as a potential date.
