Francis Ngannou has never been one to hold back, and this time, the former UFC heavyweight champion has aimed directly at the promotion over the current state of the division.
The UFC heavyweight class has faced years of uncertainty since Francis Ngannou vacated the title and left for free agency. Since then, delays, stalled matchups, and confusion around contenders have frustrated many fans.
According to Ngannou, the blame falls on poor promotion management. Speaking with The Schmo ahead of his May 16 return on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano undercard, Francis Ngannou shared his honest view.
“Well, I think there is a lot of, I would say, mismanagement,” Ngannou said. “There is a lot of mismanagement that sometimes gets stuff screwed up, and that’s why we are where we are today.”
Ngannou also pointed to the struggles surrounding interim champion Tom Aspinall and the lack of movement at the top of the division.
“You see even now, there are a lot of heavyweights out there like Tom Aspinall. He’s having troubles with this. I think there’s mismanagement. You see all these situations that don’t come and entertain.”
Francis Ngannou later clarified that he was not referring to fighter managers, but to how the promotion handles the division.
“When I say mismanagement, I wasn’t talking about managers. I was talking mostly about the promotion. So I think there’s something like that out there, which is not right.”
The Cameroonian knockout star also revealed he has changed his mindset when it comes to chasing dream fights. For years, fans pushed for a showdown with Jon Jones, but that bout never happened.
“Nowadays with all these different companies, it’s hard to focus on a name like, ‘I want this name,’” Ngannou said. “I done that for a while and it didn’t work good.”
“We can take a good example of the Jon Jones fight that we’ve been talking about for six years to the point where it’s kind of annoying to talk about. So whatever fight makes sense, opponent makes sense, just fight. The goal at the end of the day is to fight.”
Francis Ngannou now returns to MMA against Philipe Lins, looking to remind everyone why he remains one of the most dangerous heavyweights in combat sports.
“I’m very familiar with MMA,” Ngannou said. “I’ve been doing it for a while, so it’s different and more comfortable than boxing. Nothing obliges me to stay in something. I’m free. If the fight makes sense, yes.”
With Netflix carrying the upcoming card, Francis Ngannou has another major platform to prove his drawing power and reshape the next chapter of his career.
