Are We Headed For Split Between Francis Ngannou, UFC

Francis Ngannou unified the UFC heavyweight titles over the weekend.

Ngannou scored a stunning victory over Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 270. After falling behind early, he rallied, dominating the final three rounds.

That fight, though, finished his current contract with the UFC. The two sides have spoken out against each other in recent weeks.

So, are we headed for a split between Ngannou and the promotion? 

It appears so.

After his win, Ngannou was not presented the belt by UFC president Dana White as is the custom. Instead, Mick Maynard wrapped it around his waist. 

“I don’t know. You have to ask him,” Ngannou said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “I did not have anything to do about that. I think that was their decision. I’m about to ask that, too.”

White, who did present the title to Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event, was also not at the post-fight press conference.

Ngannou was surprised that White did not attend, saying he “didn’t know that.” 

The agent for Ngannou, Marquel Martin, works with Creative Artists Agency. CAA is a chief rival of Endeavor, the owners of the UFC. 

“It’s been a long time I’ve been wondering about my future in the company,” Ngannou said. “So nothing has changed. I’m still in the same position.”

Ngannou is headed for surgery before anything return to the Octagon or move to boxing. He suffered serious knee ligament injuries in the pre-fight training. 

“I had a grade 3 MCL (tear),” Ngannou said. “I have a damaged ACL.”