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UFC President Dana White has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late.
White came under fire from a number of people after a video emerged of him slapping his wife during an altercation on New Year’s Eve.
The longtime UFC prez made headlines yet again on Saturday night following the UFC Fight Night: Strickland Vs. Imanov card when he announced an absolutely shocking move by the company.
White dropped a bombshell when he told reporters that the UFC was releasing heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou from his contract.
Dana White: “We are going to release (Francis Ngannou) from his contract. We are giving up the right to match. He can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants”
The UFC is officially NOT SIGNING Francis Ngannou. WILD. pic.twitter.com/fryjnutgN7
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) January 15, 2023
Ngannou will be immediately free to negotiate with other companies.
Francis Ngannou is officially clear to sign a deal with someone else. White says they are going to wave any right to match and let him go elsewhere. He is no longer the UFC heavyweight champion. White says they offered him a deal that would have made him the highest paid HW ever.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 15, 2023
The Cameroonian won the UFC heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic via knockout in March of 2001. He then defended his crown in January of 2022. But after that fight, he made comments that led many to believe he may be done fighting in the UFC.
“No,” Ngannou said, when asked if he would keep fighting under the deal. “I will not fight for $500,000 [or] $600,000 anymore. It’s over. I took this fight for personal reasons, because I want to make sure that regardless of [whether] it’s fair, I can make my case that I have completed the fights.” – via ESPN
UFC Allows Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou To Leave The Company
Most fans believed that Ngannou and the UFC would likely come to some sort of an agreement. The 36-year-old is one of the faces of not only his division, but the entire company.
Instead, a deal never came to fruition that the two sides could agree on and Ngannou is now heading out the door. Fans could not believe the news.
— MMJ™️ (@mikexklinsky) January 15, 2023
Man I really didn’t think it would get to this point. #UFC https://t.co/k9TKDGfItg
— Peter Klein (@primetimeklein) January 15, 2023
Crazy! https://t.co/JwqFoQhPVm
— Brianna (@bri_mescudi) January 15, 2023
https://twitter.com/AustinTurner901/status/1614460574267736064?s=20&t=zZwmQbt-njuZ-UKakZzLtg
This is insane https://t.co/kQGyqL4Bmi
— Mert🪼🌌 (@MERT_AFC) January 15, 2023
Ngannou immediately becomes the hottest free agent in the combat sports world. He could remain in MMA or head to boxing or kickboxing. But wherever he ends up, he’s sure to have plenty of eyeballs on him.