It will be a while before UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou competes again.
After being medically evaluated on Monday in Los Angeles, Ngannou will have surgery to repair a torn MCL and damaged ACL, which will require nine months of recovery time. Ngannou won’t undergo surgery until after he visits his native Cameroon soon.
Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, confirmed the details with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn after they were first reported by ESPN.
Ngannou, 35, retained and unified the heavyweight title this past Saturday at UFC 270 where he defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision. Ngannou revealed after the win that he fought with damage to his knee suffered during training roughly four weeks out from the bout.
“It was pretty bad,” Ngannou told reporters at the UFC 270 post-fight news conference. “I have a Grade 3 MCL (tear), I have damage on my ACL and damage on my MPFL. That was 25 days ago.”
Martin marveled at the toughness his client showed in going through with the fight and winning.
“I continue to be amazed and inspired by Francis’ heart and resilience,” Martin told ESPN. “Fighting on one leg to overcome all odds and remind the world he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I think we can all agree he deserves some time to go back home and be with his family and countrymen.
“Upon his return, we plan on getting surgery and starting the recovery process so we can get him back to 100 percent as soon as possible. In the meantime, we hope we can find a peaceful resolution in these contract talks. We’d like to thank all the fans for their continued support and belief in Francis.”
Ngannou’s win at UFC 270 marked the eighth and final fight on his UFC contract. He’s tied to the promotion for the next year only because of a champion’s clause.
Ngannou, who wants the freedom to box, said prior to UFC 270 that he would not continue fighting “for $500,000, $600,000” anymore. Ngannou earned a $600,000 purse for UFC 270, according to salaries disclosed by the California State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event in Anaheim.
