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Francis “The Predator” Ngannou’s decision to pursue free agency has been met with some heavy-handed criticism by Chael Sonnen.
The promoter, analyst and former UFC fighter appeared on MMA Junkie on April 4 and put Ngannou on blast, saying Ngannou needs to “wake up” and “call back his boss” — UFC president Dana White.
Sonnen said this in spite of White appearing to burn bridges with Ngannou backstage at UFC 285 in early March, saying, “It’s over, yeah. He’ll never be in the UFC again.”
Ngannou vacated his UFC heavyweight title in January 2023 in order to explore free agency in boxing and other MMA promotions. Ngannou has been in negotiations for a mixed-rules fight with Tyson Fury and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC) and proposed a set of rules via Twitter in early February.
‘Like a Deer in the Headlights’: Chael Sonnen Scolds Francis Ngannou
Sonnen spoke to MMA Junkie following the BKFC 41 press conference on April 4. “[Ngannou] had done a show yesterday with a gentleman who was a kind of [businessman],” Sonnen said. “And he was asking [Ngannou] some very basic questions about the business of MMA and [Ngannou] — he looked like a deer in the headlights.
“He didn’t have the foggiest idea of how to respond,” Sonnen continued. “I thought maybe he was past that; that he’d been around; he looked around; he kind of saw where the numbers come from and saw what made sense.
“But I think now that maybe he was still of the mindset of ‘I knocked out three guys in a row — and therefore —,'” Sonnen said with an exaggerated expression. “As though that just created money from the ‘MMA money tree.'”
“I don’t say that to tease him,” Sonnen said. “Somewhere he’s going to finally realize and he’s going to want to call [the UFC] back. And when he does, I want them to answer the phone, I don’t want people to be mad at each other.”
“He’s got to wake up, and call back [Dana White]!”
Sonnen said he believes the best option for Ngannou is still the UFC, with a fight against Jon Jones as the “premiere” option. Ngannou told ESPN in March that he “wanted that fight, but not at any cost” and he has “issues” with the UFC contracts.
The Status of Francis Ngannou’s Free Agency
“We [have had] a few meetings with [Ngannou],” Professional Fighters League president Ray Sefo told reporters backstage at PFL 1 on April 2. “And those discussions are still going on, obviously there are a few other things [Ngannou] wants to pursue, like [boxing]. He knows where we stand with that too, it’s all positive.”
Sentiments were less than positive regarding Ngannou where BKFC was concerned. Promotion president David Feldman made an appearance on April 4 during the BKFC 41 media day, saying that Ngannou is “somebody we’ve certainly reached out to …. and we just feel like he’s asking for unrealistic money, and we’re not willing to pay that kind of money for him.”
“It’s 50-50 at this point,” with Ngannou, said Bellator president Scott Coker behind the scenes at the Bellator 292 ceremonial weigh-ins on March 9. “Maybe for the boxing side, it might work out. But to me, it has to be equitable for everybody, and that’s how I feel.”
The window of opportunity is closing for Ngannou, who faces a race against time to find a deal to suit his demands. The UFC was willing to offer Ngannou up to $ 8 million per fight, but the Cameroonian fighter also requested health insurance and fighter representatives, among other demands.
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