Francis Ngannou has “reasons to be cheerful” following the announcement of his encounter with current WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury this upcoming October.
The announcement of Fury vs Ngannou received a reception from the industry as expected, like a lead balloon, a sinking feeling regarding the current affairs of the sport.
However, the contest has been given the all clear by the WBC in regards to Fury’s status as WBC world heavyweight champion and that he will not be stripped. So the possibility of an undisputed heavyweight encounter between Fury and the winner of the upcoming encounter between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois, which is set to take place next month in Poland, remains alive.
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, is set to make a career-high purse against Fury which is also reportedly worth more than his entire UFC career earnings combined.
Speaking to the MMA Hour, Ngannou says that his earnings for his upcoming fight with Fury against his career UFC earnings are completely “day and night” in comparison.
“What I will tell you is that, compared to what I was making for my UFC fight, it’s day and night,” Ngannou said to The MMA Hour. “It’s life-changing. And it would be the same thing if I was fighting in the PFL first. What I was making, what I did make in my last [UFC] fight, doesn’t even count. It’s not close, anywhere close.
“Definitely yes,” Ngannou added when asked if the purse was more than his entire UFC career combined. “One hundred per cent, yes. I didn’t make that much in my entire UFC career, basically after turning down all those contracts that could have made me more money. But yes, if we count it.”
Ngannou was reportedly offered a deal by the UFC in the region of $8 million to remain within the UFC before his exit earlier this year. Ngannou, following the split, signed a deal with entity PFL, which as part of his deal, would allow him to explore opportunities within professional boxing without penalty or restriction.
Ngannou followed up by explaining his split from the UFC and that the sum of $ 8 million was an apparent trick, in his opinion, to sign the remainder of his career away to the UFC.
“I have heard so many times people say, ‘Oh, they offered him $8 million a fight, they offered him this and that,’ which is not exactly what [they offered],” Ngannou said.
“There was a trick there, and it was bad. It was just in order for me to put the pen on the paper. There was just one big number, and then behind it, the paper was blank, pretty much. So it’s not like, I’m sure you’re going to say $3 million times three, for three fights. That’s not what it was. It wasn’t like that. It was the same tactic. To pull some number up and want to impress you to get you to sign that contract.”
