Daniel Cormier thinks the UFC might profit from Francis Ngannou’s contract update.
Early today, it was announced that Ngannou has been released by the PFL following his one fight with the promotion since signing in 2023.
Ngannou had already said that his contract ended before the UFC White House event in June, sparking discussion about potentially seeing him back contained in the Octagon.
This still seems unlikely given his relationship with Dana White, but that doesn’t mean that the leading MMA promotion can’t make the most of this case another way.
- LATEST NEWS: Daniel Cormier brands Jon Jones fat in heated face-off during reality TV taping: ‘You cheated’
Daniel Cormier says UFC could take leverage from Jon Jones by utilizing Francis Ngannou as a substitute
Daniel Cormier thinks the UFC could use the prospect of re-signing Francis Ngannou as a technique to aid their negotiations with Jon Jones.
Despite Dana White’s initial reluctance to have him on the White House card in June, Jones confirmed that negotiations for his UFC return were underway initially of this month.
Given the way in which that a number of the promotion’s talks with ‘Bones’ have gone prior to now, Cormier made the case on his YouTube channel for why the thought of bringing Ngannou back may very well be a bargaining chip.
“Jon Jones gives you too many problems to get on the White House or it’s not working, Francis Ngannou’s in the marketplace,” he said. “You type of pivot and go, ‘Well, Francis, can we get together and speak about perhaps you fighting on the White House.’ That takes a little bit little bit of that leverage from the Jones side.”
In response to White, the UFC White House card will probably be announced tomorrow, meaning that the negotiations with Jones can have been accomplished before Ngannou was even an option.
It seems way more likely that we are going to see ‘The Predator’ make his MMA return on the identical night that Ronda Rousey faces Gina Carano on the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Netflix, though you’ll be able to never say never in combat sports.
- LATEST NEWS: Dana White gives Jake Paul rare credit: ‘Have a look at what AJ did to Francis Ngannou’
Dana White blamed Jon Jones’ demands for stopping huge Francis Ngannou clash
Jon Jones coming to terms with the UFC for his return as an alternative of Francis Ngannou is loads more plausible at once.
That being said, back in 2020, it was Jones that Dana White put the blame on for stopping an enormous clash between the 2 former UFC heavyweight champions.
The promotion’s CEO told ESPN MMA that ‘Bones’ had asked for “absurd” money to take the matchup, with White specifically saying that the American referenced wanting what Deontay Wilder was paid to fight Tyson Fury.
Despite it being arguably essentially the most highly anticipated fight in the game on the time, it got away from the fans when Ngannou didn’t come to terms with the UFC on a brand new deal in January of 2023.
He departed the promotion, leaving his vacant title to be won by Jones two months later.