Francis Ngannou May Be A Free Agent
He last fought in January when he defeated Ciryl Gane.
A recent report is suggesting that Francis Ngannou might already be a free agent.
Despite both the UFC and Ngannou previously expressing confidence that they would reach an agreement for a new deal, there has yet to be any reported progress. MMA reporter John Nash has assessed the wording on UFC contracts in a thread on Twitter, which alludes to the possibility that Ngannou’s deal with the promotion is up.
2/ The effective date is the date on the signature page. Based on all the interviews where Ngannou has mentioned being a free agent it sounds like the signed date was sometime in early December 2018. pic.twitter.com/NuRRKIPHbV
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
3/ the effective date (the date when it is signed) is the date the contract starts (commences) pic.twitter.com/RgtajqFdsf
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
5/ 5 years after the date it was signed would be sometime in early December. I have said in the past that I thought the contract would end in January, but that’s based on a faulty read of another contract, not the current standard. So Francis very well could be a free agent now.
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 12, 2022
Ngannou, UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion, also posted a video on Friday on his verified YouTube channel, titled, “Francis Ngannou Road 2 Recovery – Episode Six: The Future.” There, he mentions “a decision” on his future being made following UFC 282, which took place this past Saturday.
In a tweet promoting the new video, Ngannou says:
“This is a new chapter. The beginning of a new career,” Ngannou said. “My second career is coming up soon.”
My second chapter starts now ☝🏿#Road2Recovery https://t.co/dkv986YJ2U pic.twitter.com/zHjSqiXwbd
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) December 9, 2022
Earlier this month, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that Ngannou and the UFC are still expected to reach an agreement.
“Francis is about to become a free agent,” Helwani said.
“But I’m hearing that talks are actually pretty good. And you know, you saw Eric Nicksick, his coach referenced March 4, I’ve been saying this. How long have I been saying if they couldn’t get a fight in December for Jones, the March early pay-per-view was when they were going to try to do Jones?
“The newest stuff is that he’s no longer, Francis, represented by CAA. That opens the door to Endeavor wanting to do business.”
Ngannou said in September that he “was not going anywhere,” and was rumored to be connected with fighting former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in his debut in the division.
Now, all of that remains unclear.