The last time Francis Ngannou stepped inside the UFC Octagon was in January, when he successfully defended the undisputed heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. At the time, “The Predator” revealed that his future with the organization was unclear.
“I’m not here to chase ghosts. I’m chasing what is real, what is possible. But at this point, I don’t know what is the stage of my situation with the UFC. So we’re gonna see how this plays out and see what is on the table. Then we can deal with what is on the table. As of now, I can’t allow myself to speculate about anything.”
The 36-year-old Ngannou had since undergone successful knee surgery and is currently “making great strides” in recovery, according to his coach Eric Nicksick. But as far as his contract situation goes, that remains up in the air.
“My contract status right now is still the same. I haven’t received any offer. It’s the same,” he told Jimmy Smith for MMA on SiriusXM.
“My contract status right now is still the same.”
Though he’s ‘not in a rush either’ @francis_ngannou says he hasn’t received a new offer from the UFC & shares what being able to box means to the new deal @jimmysmithmma
FULL Interview on the podcasthttps://t.co/JWZcD8hrq4 pic.twitter.com/Uww5L0WRdb
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) September 16, 2022
“I hope, like, in the next two to three months, we get to deal with that. To solve that.”
Ngannou has been in a public feud with the UFC for a while now, and for him, the recent non-developments are no longer a surprise. At this point, there is no longer a sense of urgency.
“It’s not surprising to me. I think we’re not in a rush. I’m not in a rush, either. I’m not going anywhere, so I’m not rushing. At the end of the day, we have (a lot) of time,” said Ngannou, who previously revealed his intentions to return to action before the year ends.
In the same interview, Ngannou reiterated his plans for a possible clash against boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, which he once again said should be part of his new UFC deal.
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