Dana White says ‘Francis Ngannou parted ways with the company’

• Francis Ngannou has left the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
• He was due to fight Jon Jones at UFC 285 in Las Vegas on March 4.
• The Cameroonian is ranked sixth in UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.

When announcing a match between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, UFC president Dana White said that Francis Ngannou has left the organisation.

Jones gave up his light-heavyweight title over a pay dispute and hasn’t competed since defeating Dominick Reyes in February 2020.

He was supposed to compete against heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on March 4 at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.

However, White revealed that the former champion has left the UFC despite being offered a deal that would make him “the highest-paid fighter in the history of the company”.

“He feels like he’s in a good position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money. We’re going to let him do that, release him from his contract and give up our right to match,” the 53-year-old added.

It’s important to note here that Ngannou’s departure from the UFC is unique. He is now ranked sixth in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings and is the best heavyweight in the entire globe.

The Cameroonian and the UFC had disagreements at the beginning of his championship reign. The organisation scheduled Gane to fight Derrick Lewis for the interim heavyweight title in August 2021 because the two parties were unable to agree on a time for his first title defence.

After Ngannou defeated Gane, things between him and the UFC only became worse. Ngannou said that he didn’t just want more money from the UFC; he also wanted better treatment. He wanted a deal that would let him pursue other opportunities, including a fight with heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in boxing.

Jones, who won the title for the first time at the age of 23, holds the distinction of being the UFC’s youngest champion. He successfully defended it 11 times in a row, with just a disqualification defeating him.

He lost the championship in 2015 following a hit-and-run incident, then he lost it once more in 2016 following a positive drug test.

At UFC 270 in January 2022, Ngannou won by unanimous decision over Gane.

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