Israel Adesanya believes Francis Ngannou will eventually return to the UFC.
Former heavyweight champion Ngannou opted to leave the UFC after several of his requests in a new contract weren’t met. PFL signed Ngannou and granted his requests, giving him equity in the company and a leadership role within the promotion, as well as the flexibility to box.
Adesanya sees plenty of people doubting Ngannou’s decision. “The Predator” is yet to book a boxing or MMA fight, but Adesanya urges critics to be patient.
“I’m proud of him because his story is very unique, from before the UFC,” Adesanya said on “The MMA Hour.” “He’s paving his own way, signed with the PFL. The story’s not over yet. I think everyone needs to chill and just watch, because again I didn’t like how ONE FC tried to come out and say, ‘We’re withdrawing from the deal’ to try and save face because Francis was honest to them about what was going on.”
UFC president Dana White said Ngannou turned down an offer that would have made him the highest paid heavyweight in company history, prompting him to say the UFC will never welcome him back.
However, Adesanya thinks the UFC and Ngannou will eventually come to terms.
“This is not a guy that just quits,” Adesanya continued. “He never just quits. Dana’s said some stuff in the past. ‘Women will never fight in the UFC.’ It’s on video. Look where we are now. ‘Francis will never fight in the UFC again.’ I think he might do what he does and come back, and then they’ll pay him what he deserves, what he’s earned, because they f*cked him for a long time.”
Ngannou hasn’t competed since unifying his heavyweight belt against Ciryl Gane in January 2022. He intends on boxing first, then competing in MMA under the PFL banner in mid-2024.
