Promotion Has Withdrawn from Bidding for Free Agent Francis Ngannou

One Championship has withdrawn from the Francis
Ngannou sweepstakes.

CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed to the
South China Morning Post that the Singapore-based promotion has
elected not to submit a final offer to the ex-UFC heavyweight
champion after meeting with Ngannou in Los Angeles over the
weekend.

“I met with Francis yesterday for almost 3 hours,” Sityodtong said.
“ONE has decided to withdraw from the process of bidding for
Francis
Ngannou’s services.

“After careful reflection, we decided not to submit our final
offer. Francis is a good guy and a good champion. I wish him
continued success and happiness. At the end of the day, I didn’t
feel Francis and I were fully aligned on non-financial matters. It
is nothing personal. It is just a lack of alignment.”

Ngannou became a free agent in January after his UFC contract
expired. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman indicated that he was in
talks with both One and Professional Fighters League, and
Sityodtong claimed during an appearance on “The MMA Hour” that his
promotion could provide “the biggest offer on the table.” Ngannou
has made it clear that he desires to compete in professional
boxing, with targeted bouts against the likes of Tyson Fury
or Deontay
Wilder. While “The Predator” previously hinted that his boxing
debut might come in the summer, there has been no more news on that
front in recent weeks. Meanwhile, BKFC president David Feldman

recently stated that Ngannou was asking for “unrealistic money”
in negotiations.

The 36-year-old Ngannou is on a six-bout winning streak in MMA but
hasn’t competed since taking a five-round unanimous decision over
Ciryl
Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022.