Francis Ngannou at an impasse?

On 22 January 2022, Francis Ngannou got the better of Frenchman Cyril Gane to retain his UFC heavyweight title. The Cameroonian's popularity was at its peak. Few could have imagined that fifteen months later the 36-year-old fighter would still be absent from the octagon. But there was that wretched knee injury and a deep disagreement with the bosses at the UFC that forced him to leave the organisation.

Ngannou complains, in fact, about fighters' conditions, with their purses said to be paltry compared with those of boxing's top champions. He therefore wanted to look for greener pastures, where he could earn more money and, above all, get better health cover. However, five months after his departure, the Cameroonian, who is in talks with several combat sports organisations, has still not reached a deal. On Monday, ONE Championship, an Asian MMA organisation, announced it was ending its negotiations with the man who has 17 wins in 20 fights in the octagon.

"I met Francis yesterday (Sunday) for nearly three hours. ONE Championship has decided to withdraw from the bidding process for Francis Ngannou's services. After careful consideration, we decided not to submit our final offer. I did not get the impression that Francis and I were fully aligned on the non-financial issues. This is nothing personal. It is simply a lack of alignment. Francis is a good guy and a good champion. I wish him lots of success and happiness," said ONE chief executive Chatri Sityodtong. In boxing too, the Cameroonian has no concrete offer.

Ngannou, who has fought at least once every year since his MMA debut in 2013, could thus face his first year without a fight in 2023.