Francis Ngannou Free Agency Watch

Francis Ngannou has walked away from his UFC heavyweight title and has secured his freedom from the UFC. The Cameroonian fighter opted not to…

By: Tim Bissell | 11 months ago
Francis Ngannou Free Agency Watch
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

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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About the author
Tim Bissell
Tim Bissell

Tim Bissell is a writer, editor and deputy site manager for Bloody Elbow. He has covered combat sports since 2015. Tim covers news and events and has also written longform and investigative pieces. Among Tim's specialties are the intersections between crime and combat sports. Tim has also covered head trauma, concussions and CTE in great detail.

Tim is also BE's lead (only) sumo reporter. He blogs about that sport here and on his own substack, Sumo Stomp!

Email me at tim@bloodyelbow.com. Nice messages will get a response.

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