Francis Ngannou has been a free agent for about five months now. In a brief video posted yesterday, the former UFC champion hinted at a piece of significant news about his next career move that would be made public on May 16.
After eight years with the top MMA organization in the world, The Predator left in January after contract negotiations fell through. In spite of numerous UFC fighters requesting him to renew his contract, the heavyweight fighter left as he wanted to persue a career in boxing.
Let’s get down to business ☝🏿 #GameChanger pic.twitter.com/Fgqt7yrZYI
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) May 6, 2023
Ngannou’s boxing project now appears to be at risk after failing to reach an agreement with any of the elite boxers. But it seems like he’s finally prepared to make a major statement after yesterday’s enigmatic video.
What could Francis Ngannou’s cryptic video possibly mean?
At this juncture, the French-Cameroonian fighter’s next career possibilities are limited to one or two. The first is to join the Professional Fighters League, and the second is to turn pro in boxing by taking on a mid-tier opponent. There may be a few other potential options in the mix as well but they are unlikely to be huge in scale.
Many believed that Ngannou’s best choice would be to sign with Bellator. However, it appears that the Santa Monica-based MMA promotion didn’t even make an offer to the heavyweight kingpin.
Francis Ngannou teases next move in May 16 announcement
Full story: https://t.co/UVLMBblvkk pic.twitter.com/Wmji0iFoaB
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 13, 2023
Recently, The Predator also failed to reach a deal with One Championship. Ngannou had a fruitless three-hour conversation with Chatri Sityodtong, the CEO of the MMA company.
Francis had the option of continuing his career in combat sports by taking up bare-knuckle boxing. Ultimately, Dave Feldman, the president of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, turned down Ngannou as well for making unreasonable demands.
If you know his story, you know that Francis Ngannou has fought for everything he has.
He’s in a special position that a lot of fighters wish they were in.
Stay patient and let him work. pic.twitter.com/7EHv2rg6yl
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) May 3, 2023
When Francis Ngannou announces his next big plans for the future on May 16, all of the concerns and uncertainties will hopefully be resolved. What are you expecting to happen with The Predator? Let us know your guesses in the comment area.
