Francis Ngannou ends heavyweight title tangle at UFC 270 against Cyril Gane. A bitter conflict with league boss Dana White continues
Francis Ngannou remains the heavyweight kingpin of the UFC – something the billion-dollar company’s boss doesn’t seem to like.
At Pay Per View UFC 270, the Cameroonian with French citizenship defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision on points to crown himself the undisputed champion of the division.
The hard-hitting Ngannou had secured the title in March 2021 with a brutal knockout of Stipe Miocic, but then Gane had secured an interim version of the title in his absence against Derrick Lewis in the summer.
🏆 𝐔 𝐍 𝐃 𝐈 𝐒 𝐏 𝐔 𝐓 𝐄 𝐃 🏆 #ANDSTILL
[ @Francis_Ngannou | #UFC270 | B2YB @CLMBR_Official ] pic.twitter.com/JXnWqtUkMb— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022
Now that Ngannou has defeated Gane on points, he has restored clarity to the sporting scene. However, an open conflict with the UFC and its president Dana White continued: Contrary to usual practice, White did not present Ngannou with the title in person and also stayed away from the press conference after the fight.
Ngannou and the UFC in contract clinch
Ngannou and his employer are in a not completely manageable clinch over Ngannou’s contract and the terms of his title defenses.
Even last summer, it was surprising how quickly the UFC demanded another fight from him – and that an interim champion was quickly crowned when Ngannou refused.
The fact that the UFC fights hard for financial and other terms of the fights with its own stars, who are quite underpaid compared to other sports that generate a lot of money, happens all the time. In Ngannou’s case, it has gotten to the point where he is questioning his future despite his victory.
A simple message from the champ 🏆#UFC270
Who do you want to see Ngannou fight next? pic.twitter.com/EAPUGISL3n
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 23, 2022
“I don’t feel like a free man,” he said after the fight. “I don’t feel I was treated well. It’s a shame that I’m at the point that I have to say something like that.”
Boxing on the back foot
Ngannou would have become a free agent had he lost the fight and, despite the “champion clause” continuing to bind him, is now flirting with the fact that he has other options and could also sit out his contract should there be further dispute.
The 35-year-old, who grew up in poverty and had originally wanted to become a boxer, brought up the idea that he could return to it: “Boxing is in my back pocket. Someday I want to do that. I’m not going to spend my life here.”
Nonetheless, Ngannou made it clear that his sporting drive is undiminished: In the run-up to the fight, he would have torn an inner ligament and also injured his cruciate ligament. Doctors would have advised him against the fight, he would risk permanent damage – Ngannou risked it.
Another conflict that was an issue around the fight: Gane is part of the stable of Ngannou’s ex-trainer Fernand Lopez, with whom he fell out. Lopez and Ngannou completely ignored each other on Saturday night.
