UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has reiterated once more that he is demanding a boxing inclusion in his new UFC contract. Ngannou has made no secret of his desire to take on recently retired boxer Tyson Fury, telling The MMA Hour that he won’t return to MMA if he doesn’t get the chance to step into the boxing ring.
“The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion. That’s not an option. It has to be part of the discussion, because if that’s not part of the discussion now, it will never be. If I sign another contract now, and basically the same model of a contract, I’m screwed. It’s not happening ever.
Ngannou: “The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion”
So we have to figure out a way to implement this into a contract.” Ngannou entered the ring after Fury’s knockout win this weekend, with the pair once more pushing a mixed-rules fight. The UFC famously let Conor McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather during the Irish superstar’s reign as two-division champ, but have been reluctant to allow a similar provision to anyone else on the roster.
“I think the UFC is a great promotion and I want to keep fighting.
Tyson Fury is not my last fight. I want to keep fighting after Tyson Fury. There’s still a lot of fights out there. There’s Jon Jones, there’s a trilogy with Stipe [Miocic], there’s big fight I can do in the UFC, so I would really like that to happen.
I would really like also to get to a common point. Yes, I can do Tyson Fury on my own, but what next? I would like to keep fighting. I would like for us to come to an agreement, but for that they have to have a good understanding of the situation.”
Ngannou’s ongoing contract dispute has been causing issues with the UFC for months now, and has plagued his time as heavyweight champ. He simply hopes it can be dealt with soon, but promises that a piece of paper won’t keep the champ from fighting.
“My contract situation is not a roadblock because either way, my contract situation will not stop me from fighting. So I think it’s pretty easy. Tyson Fury’s contract situation as well is coming up soon, therefore, there’s nothing that can hold us from doing it.”
Do you want to see Fury vs Ngannou in the boxing ring, or should Francis look to defend his title once more? Let us know in the comments.
