The UFC has released Francis Ngannou from their roster after he refused to sign a new contract with the organization.
UFC president, Dana White has announced that their Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou has been stripped of the title and released.
The Cameroon fighter has been one of the biggest stars in the organization and refused to sign a new deal after his previous contract ran out.
He is now a free agent and is able to sign with another organisation.
Dana White details what led to Francis Ngannou’s exit from the UFC. pic.twitter.com/31Ag9PYhwU
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 15, 2023
“We offered Francis a deal that would have made him the highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company,” White said.
“More than [Brock] Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down. We get to this point where I’ve told you guys before, if you don’t want to be here, you don’t have to be here.
“I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk. [He] feels he’s in a good position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money. So we’re going to let him do that.”
There are plenty of other promotions who would welcome Ngannou with open arms, it will be interesting to see where he ends up.