From UFC President Dana White’s constant jibes at Francis Ngannou and even MMA fans leaving no chance to comment on his decision to leave the UFC, the Predator has come a long way.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion, who started his journey from the coalmines in Cameroon and traveled two continents to finally realize his “American Dream,” currently serves as the chairman and equity owner in PFL Africa and has a leadership role in the PFL global advisory board.
Ngannou has championed health insurance for fighters and has often raised his voice against unfair pay to mixed martial artists. Did he “fumble the bag” by leaving the UFC? Most definitely not!
“I didn’t want to get in a fight, where I’m going to fight someone, that worked his way to get into that position, then they give me all the money and they give him a little penny.”
Ngannou explains why he fought for his opponents 2 mil purse. @francis_ngannou / @arielhelwani… pic.twitter.com/m4qB3GjYOU
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) May 16, 2023
Since being stripped of his UFC title in January, Francis Ngannou has made his professional boxing debut, earning way more than he made in his entire UFC career. Ngannou has already fought Tyson Fury, nearly beating the WBC Champion and one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in the modern era, and is now all set to take on former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on April 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Francis Ngannou is not conquering the boxing ring alone but remains an active athlete inside the MMA cage. The former UFC Champion is scheduled to make his PFL debut later this year in a super-fight against Brazilian Renan Ferreira.
Francis Ngannou is a multi-millionaire after leaving the UFC
For his boxing debut against Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou took home a whopping $10 million as salary. This did not include any PPV share from the bout. Moreoever, one can only imagine the kind of endorsement deals it would have brought him, considering the magnitude of the fight.
Francis Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin says Ngannou is making more for the Tyson Fury fight than his UFC purses combined “by far, by multiples” 💰 #TheMMAHour
“The bag is so big, he may actually just drop it on the way to the bank.”
▶️ https://t.co/0KOuO25dO7 pic.twitter.com/4GX4OwmqYs
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 12, 2023
Compared to his last fight in the UFC, Francis Ngannou failed to touch the $1 million mark, earning $600,000 for his dominant outing against Ciryl Gane back at UFC 270. While he may have felt he wasn’t being paid well by the UFC in the past, the Cameroonian fighter is making a handsome amount now that he is not under the UFC contract.
How much will Francis Ngannou make for the Anthony Joshua fight?
The Predator will double his salary from his last bout, earning a whopping $20 million for the fight against Anthony Joshua. The mentioned amount doesn’t include the shares from PPV buys revenue.
In little more than a year, Francis Ngannou has made some of the biggest fight purses in boxing history, all that being 0-1 in his professional boxing career. Safe to say, the bout against Joshua won’t be his last this year, having already set his eyes on an MMA return.
Moreover, with options in the form of Deontay Wilder, Derek Chisora, and Dillian Whyte right around the corner and a shot at the undisputed gold should he get past Joshua, Ngannou’s boxing career seems far from over regardless of what happens on April 8.
What is Francis Ngannou’s net worth?
Francis Ngannou is reported to have a net worth of over $15 million in 2024. He plans to skyrocket that amount with a massive payday against Anthony Joshua and a confirmed “seven-figure salary” in his first fight for the PFL.
Just 18 months ago, Ngannou boasted a net worth of $3 million, with most of his earnings coming from the UFC.
