MoreFrancis Ngannou triumphed over Ciryl Gane as he retained the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his first title defense in the main event of UFC 270. Ngannou looked in his prime shape as he surprised fight fans with his incredible display of wrestling to dominate former team-mate, Ciryl Gane, in what was an exciting five rounds between the heavyweight elites. After everything was said and done, it was Ngannou who emerged on top as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Soon after the victory, rumors of Francis Ngannou leaving the UFC, and potentially retiring from mixed martial arts to make a switch into boxing started doing the rounds. The fight against Ciryl Gane was the last on Ngannou’s contract and the negotiation disputes between the UFC and the heavyweight champion aren’t privy to the rest of the world.
It won’t be wrong to say that many expected Ngannou to lose. However, almost everybody gave him the puncher’s chance. After everything was said and done, Ngannou not only rose to the top, he answered his critics in a manner nobody anticipated. Ngannou won the fight via unanimous decision. In addition to that, he showed a great display of his improved grappling ability, something that has been looked at as his weak spot.
Is Francis Ngannou looking to leave MMA for boxing?
Francis Ngannou’s stock is only going to skyrocket from here. Moreover, the victory over a very technical Ciryl Gane is going to plummet Ngannou’s legacy as one of the greatest to ever grace the Octagon. Ngannou has not spoken about retirement, on the flip side, he wants to remain as active as possible.
Gane says he does not want Ngannou to leave the UFC. Gane: “If he leaves like that, I don’t want that. I want my rematch, I want to do this fight a second time. I want this fight — I want the rematch.” #UFC270
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) January 23, 2022
Francis Ngannou has expressed his concerns with the pay several times in the past. Recently, he made headlines after he stated that he won’t fight for “$500,000-$600,000” anymore. Fellow friend and UFC’s middleweight champion Israel Adesanya also advocated for the heavyweight champ, with the dispute between Ngannou and the UFC becoming a central topic in the lead-up to UFC 270. The next few months will be interesting.
After a dominant performance like that, UFC will look to keep Ngannou at any cost. Additionally, failure to reach a settlement could also lead to negative publicity, however, UFC and UFC President Dana White are used to it by now. Moreover, in the lead-up to the fight, Dana White maintained that if Ngannou wants to leave, he will leave the door open for him. It boils down to whether Ngannou and the UFC can strike a deal, and if the option to box in his next contract can be agreed upon. Interesting times await on Twitter, watch out.