The UFC Threatened to Sue Francis Ngannou's Agent for Talking to Jake Paul's Advisor
Hours before Ngannou’s UFC 270 championship bout.
The saga between Francis Ngannou and the UFC continues, as the heavyweight champion continues to openly voice his issues with the promotion.
During Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Ngannou revealed that the UFC threatened to issue a lawsuit against his agent, Marquel Martin, for allegedly talking to a member of Jake Paul‘s camp about the possibility of Ngannou competing in boxing.
Ngannou’s agent is said to have received the email from the UFC just a few hours before his UFC 270 championship bout against Ciryl Gane, which Ngannou won via unanimous decision. UFC President Dana White was noticeably absent at the fight and post-fight press conference.
The person Martin was in contact with is Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul’s advisor, the co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions in partnership with Paul, and the UFC’s former chief financial officer.
“I walked into the room waiting for my manager, my coach,” said Ngannou in the interview. “They were like, Wow. I’m like, What’s going on? They told me they just received an email from the UFC saying they’re going to sue for talking with this guy, Nakisa. I’m like, Who is Nakisa?”
Ngannou has long said he has wanted to compete in boxing and would be open to staying in the UFC if it meant he could also box while doing so, though the promotion currently doesn’t allow that for any of its fighters. Ngannou is said to have left $7 Million USD at the table for not re-signing with the UFC saying, “I’m still happy with my $600,000 because I still fight for what I care for. This is the thing. Freedom doesn’t work with money.”
Self peace is a key part of every accomplishment and success, but you don’t have that until you have the right people around you. People who truly care for you and your beliefs and don’t just see you as a opportunity to exploit.
Thank you for my team who got it all figured out pic.twitter.com/kjYXGTc9re— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) January 24, 2022
Had Ngannou lost against Gane in UFC 270, his contract would have expired, but because he won, he is obligated to either 3 more fights or one more year at the promotion.
“The term of the contract, everything that they put, they hold you like in captivity,” said Ngannou. “You can’t do anything, you have no rights. The contract is one-sided.”
“I just want to be free. We are supposedly independent contractors,” Ngannou continued. “Independent contractor is technically a free person. That’s the reason why they need some adjustments in that contract. That’s what I’ve been fighting for.”
Jake Paul took the chance to chime in tweeting “the LOWEST paid NFL athlete is 650,000 this is crazy, don’t y’all think Francis Ngannou is worth more than a backup kicker.”
Stay tuned for more updates as the situation evolves.
the LOWEST paid @NFL athlete is 650,000 this is crazy🤯 @danawhite @ufc @jakepaul @JonnyBones don’t yall think @francis_ngannou is worth more than a backup kicker 🍭 pic.twitter.com/oLM7am8jpP
— PDIII (@PatDowney) January 23, 2022
Elsewhere in sports, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers talks making difficult decision about Football future.
