Will Francis Ngannou set off an Avalanche of Fighter Movement?

photo creds: BloodyElbow.com

With news of Jon Jones’ return to the UFC and his new fight agreement with Ciryl Gane for the Heavyweight Championship, that left questions for former UFC Heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou. I think everyone had questions and theories as to what was happening with Ngannou when the photos were leaked on the outside of T-Mobile arena showing the graphic of the headliner for UFC 284 in March, a Title Fight for a vacant HW belt. We all knew negotiations with Ngannou and the UFC were stagnant but there was no news was released, nobody even knew if that fight leak was official or if it was a hoax. Then came a whirlwind of news from the UFC on this back and forth between the promotion and Ngannou.

Just weeks after UFC President Dana White was in the spotlight for his altercation with his wife at a Vegas nightclub caught on camera, you have fighters leaving the organization simply for better treatment, better pay, healthcare, you name it. You still have fighters being suspended and the repercussions from the James Krauss gambling incident, and now you have leaks of massive fights before you can make an official announcement. Then, the icing on the cake, Francis Ngannou basically taking shots at the organization and stating his stance on why he is deciding to test free agency instead of continuing his Heavyweight title run. Simply said, “For freedom” according to Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksack, via MMA Junkie. A tough look all together for the organization to start 2023.

Fight news aside, a lot of people are overlooking the situation with Ngannou. He tried to negotiate to make a deal with the UFC to receive healthcare, create fighter advocacy at board meetings, wanted freedom to potentially explore a boxing bout, and wanted to bring back personalized fighter sponsorships. All so fighters, in the highest and most prestigious organization mind you, could make a reasonable amount of money. It doesn’t seem like much to ask for right? Well, apparently that was too steep. The contracts the UFC offer really lock down their fighters and Ngannou simply wanted the freedoms to pursue personal goals in his career. The UFC claims they offered to make him the highest paid heavyweight ever, but Ngannou stood his ground and turned down that offer as the UFC could not match his requests. These are things you might think would be a courtesy for a profession where you are putting your body on the line for entertainment. Where Ngannou will end up is up in the air, but it leaves us wondering if this is the start of a movement for fighters in the UFC if the promotion can’t find a way to please its athletes.

In my eyes, it leaves a strong statement when your Heavyweight champ vacates the belt and leaves the organization all together, especially after most were considering Ngannou to be one of the best, if not the best, to fight for the promotion. When you're considered the ‘baddest man on the planet’ fighting for what most call the best MMA promotion in the world and you just up and leave, conveniently when these other promotions are striking deals to pay their fighters more and give them the freedom they deserve, is telling. Simple things like ditching the reebok deal and letting fighters have their own personalized sponsorships would leave a huge impact within the UFC roster as that alone took away a large chunk of fighters’ revenue. Considering they only get a small portion of that Reebok deal, on top of being paid lower than most promotions offer, and now other organizations, like the Professional Fighters League, are offering a fighter advocacy board makes it seem foolish to stay with the UFC unless you are a PPV superstar. Which even then, the few names that come to mind are the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, etc. Plus it seems that money wasn’t even the dealbreaker for Ngannou, he simply wanted better care, more freedom, and the option to take his career where he wanted to rather than being controlled and directed for his every move with the UFC.

It's a shame we won’t get to see Ngannou continue his run in the UFC but I have the upmost respect for him to stand his ground and negotiate for something he believes in, even if it meant vacating his title he worked so hard for. It makes me believe these other promotions are climbing closer to the top to truly compete with the UFC by simply changing their business model to put more emphasis on fighter care and needs. It leads me to believe the UFC Is going to have to go through some sort of change or have something or someone step up to get this organization back on the right path. For what was supposed to be an exciting start to 2023, it has been nothing but a mess thus far. How long will it take before we see Dana White make a change, and will we see a handful of fighters follow in Ngannou’s footsteps? Let me know what you think below.