Francis Ngannou has walked away from his UFC heavyweight title and has secured his freedom from the UFC. The Cameroonian fighter opted not to re-sign with the UFC, citing the lack of independence in UFC deals (which prevent fighters from competing in boxing and anything else the promotion would prefer they didn’t).
Ngannou joined the UFC in 2015 and went on a tear to earn a UFC title fight against Stipe Miocic. He was outworked by Miocic and lost by unanimous decision. A few months later he dropped a lacklustre decision to Derrick Lewis.
After a switch in camps, Ngannou began fighting like a man possessed. He steamrolled the heavyweight rankings, KOing anyone who was put in front of him to earn a rematch with Miocic at 2021’s UFC 260. That night he knocked out Miocic in the second round.
After a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Ngannou returned to face Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last year. He defeated Gane by unanimous decision and soon made it clear that he was not interested in continuing on with the UFC.
Ngannou is now the most valuable free agent in combat sports (perhaps ever). Bloody Elbow will track Ngannou’s free agency and bring you all the news and updates as the world’s best heavyweight decides what to do next.
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