By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
The new darling of the PFL, Francis Ngannou should make his big debut there around February or March 2024. However, his signing with the UFC competitor is still frowned upon by some, even several months later. A former UFC veteran recently sent him a large missile by submarine.
He was promised a very dark sporting future after his departure from the UFC. Dana White even did everything to prevent his boxing debut against Tyson Fury, even proposing Jon Jones as an opponent to the Briton. But in the end, Francis Ngannou seems to be the big winner in this story, he who will cross swords with the Gypsy King in a few days in Saudi Arabia.
Whether he wins or not, the Predator is already guaranteed to receive the biggest check of his career, to the tune of at least $8 million. This is simply more than all of his earnings in the UFC, he who left the MMA federation because it did not want to pay him more, nor his peers for that matter. Like the Frenchman Cédric Doumné, he therefore signed with the competition by joining the PFL.
Darren Till adamant about PFL signing
As we know, the conditions will be much more favorable since in addition to being better paid, the Cameroonian has negotiated better salary conditions for anyone who faces him. Enough to make him the new headliner of the PFL of course, but other former members of the UFC seem not to appreciate his approach. Darren Till, who left the league last March, indirectly attacked him on MMA Hour :
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Darren Till : I said “I don’t want to go and do MMA right away. My head is a bit beat up and I just want to be released and see what my options are. » It was eight months ago. Since leaving, I have received incredible offers from major MMA organizations, and I have turned them all down. I’ve been in talks with some of them, but again, I wouldn’t disrespect (the UFC) by starting with the PFL right away.
I feel like I did things correctly. What’s the point of saying “I need some time to take the pressure off” and then signing with the PFL or Bellator or ONE or something? It does not mean anything.
Once again, Ngannou is not explicitly named, but it is impossible not to identify him as the target of this attack.
On the other hand, it seemed inevitable that the Batié native would leave the UFC, given that his relationship with Dana White had deteriorated beyond repair. At the same time, the PFL gave him the opportunity to make his boxing debut despite his contract with the league, which his former employer refused to do. In such conditions, we can only understand the decision of the person concerned.
Darren Till spent many years in the UFC, as did Francis Ngannou. The Predator’s decision to move to the PFL just months after his departure appears to be sticking in the fighter’s throat, even if he doesn’t explicitly cite the former heavyweight champion. The latter should have nothing to do with it.
2023-10-26 13:30:00
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