Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou shockingly left the organization earlier this year citing various issues. The sudden exit of Ngannou sparked a new controversy in the MMA world as many blamed the UFC president Dana White for not treating his champion right, while some claimed it as a mistake by Ngannou who now as claimed by White will “never be in the UFC again”.
Various fighters have called out Ngannou in the past year, his possible opponents ranging from the boxing world to MMA. One recent callout which surprised everyone was by current UFC middleweight Paulo Costa. The top middleweight contender approached Ngannou via twitter, saying “Hey Francis (Ngannou) I heard you’re looking for a boxer opponent,” the Brazilian tweeted. “If u prefer I can put my gloves off too. It’s up to you big brother.”
Hey Francis I heard you’re looking for a boxer opponent. If u prefer I can put my gloves off too. It’s up to you big brother 🙌 pic.twitter.com/W6hRrkRkg7
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) March 28, 2023
The gloves-off thing by Costa was probably referring to a bare-knuckle fight. Costa though is known for his comical callouts over the years that he in reality has no business fighting with and hence this callout is also not something to really get serious about. In a recent move, ‘Borrachinha’ has signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC that will see him earning a staggering $1 million per fight.
What’s next for Francis Ngannou?
Since exiting the UFC, Ngannou’s first priority seems to be boxing. As per various reports, Ngannou is currently negotiating a fight with one of the best heavyweight boxers Deontay Wilder. Wilder in fact isn’t the only boxing opponent Ngannou is going after, as the 34-year-old was previously seen calling out Tyson Fury after his fight against Dillain White at The Wembley stadium in London back in April 2022.
UFC president Dana White has made it crystal clear that after negotiating with ‘The Predator’ for almost an year, there is now no chance of him ever getting back to the UFC. Talking about the potential match-up with Wilder, Ngannou said “I’m considering everybody [as an opponent],” He continued. “I talked to [promoter] Eddie Hearn about Anthony Joshua, I don’t know what’s going to happen. The most that we have spoken with is Deontay Wilder’s team. We’ve been having some exchanges, basically coming to some sort of verbal agreement.”
What do you make of Costa’s twitter post? Let us know in the comment section.
