Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has revealed how the strongest league prevented him from signing a lucrative $1.2 million sponsorship deal.
In an interview with Joe Rogan Ngannou said:
After the Stipe fight, I had a deal on the table with cryptocurrency. I was going to have $1.2 million, which is the money I never had in any fight...then they announced the Crypto.com deal, and they told me 'You can't carry this in the Octagon with what we're trying to push'.
Recall, Ngannou left the UFC in January 2023 and signed a contract with the PFL, where he will debut in 2024. In addition, the fighter received a management position in the league and will be in charge of the promotion's branch in Africa.
Ngannou last stepped into the cage in January 2022 against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. In that confrontation, Francis won by unanimous decision of the judges. He has 17 wins and three losses in MMA.