WATCH: ONE Championship has halted talks with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed. Ngannou has been pursuing a move to ONE Championship after being released by the UFC, but Sityodtong said Ngannou would face substantial competition in ONE’s heavyweight division that he does not believe Ngannou is ready for. Follow UFC News Updates with Insidesport.IN
WATCH: Sityodtong Had a Discussion with Francis Ngannou
“We’ve been in discussions,” Sityodtong told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I like Francis, he brings a lot to the table, but he’ll have a tough time in our heavyweight division, to be frank, which I’ve said publicly.” He also said, “I met Francis for almost 3 hours. After careful reflection, we decided not to submit our final offer,” Sityodtong said. “I didn’t feel Francis and I were fully aligned on non-financial matters. It is nothing personal.”
Breaking news – @yodchatri tells me a deal for Francis Ngannou is off.#ONEChampionship https://t.co/FZCorzuZba
— Nicolas Atkin (@NicoSCMP) May 1, 2023
Ngannou has long been considered one of the top heavyweight MMA fighters in the world, Francis “The Predator” N’Gannou is a 36-year-old Male fighter from Cameroon with a 17-3-0 professional MMA record. However, ONE Championship’s heavyweight roster features several top ranked fighters like Anatoly Malykhin, Arjan Bhullar, and many more that could pose problems for Ngannou.
Sityodtong felt Ngannou needed to prove himself against some of these heavyweight contenders before being given a high-profile signing and push in ONE. Ngannou bribut Sityodtong was not willing to have ONE’s heavyweight prestige jeopardized early on by potentially mismatched fights.
It appears Ngannou’s time with ONE Championship has come to an end before it really began. The future of “The Predator” is once again up in the air as he seeks another promotional home for his talent. ONE passed on the opportunity to sign one of the UFC’s most Fearsome former champions in favor of building their heavyweight division through other matchups and contenders first. Ngannou remains an unsigned free agent as his quest for a new home continues. Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / For UFC News updates with InsideSport.IN
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