CEO of ONE Championship Chatri Sityodtong thinks that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou could be competing under the promotion soon.
Francis Ngannou has been a free agent since January, leaving many fans wondering where he will end up. Ngannou gave up his heavyweight belt while leaving the UFC.
The promotion then scheduled Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane to fill the vacancy for the heavyweight title. Jones subsequently submitted Gane in round one to win the championship.
UFC is already preparing for the freshly minted champion’s defence, as Jones called out Stipe Miocic after the victory. While things have already returned to normal with the promotion, this is not the case for Ngannou. Ngannou previously hinted about a two-bout contract in Africa with Deontay Wilder, but it never materialized.
However, Francis Ngannou may not be without a home for very long. Chatri Sityodtong recently discussed the possibility of signing Ngannou on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
According to Sityodtong, he has a meeting with Ngannou scheduled for Saturday. He thinks he can make Ngannou the highest bid thus far. Sityodtong’s remarks have merit since Ngannou has already said that he’s most likely to sign with the PFL or ONE Championship.
While there are other offers on the table, Sityodtong believes that ONE Championship can offer the most lucrative deal. However, he also acknowledges that the offer must work for both parties.
On The MMA Hour, Sityodtong stated: “Francis, we’ve been in discussions, I like Francis. I think he brings a lot to the table… He has a bunch of offers on the table. He’s waiting for our final offer, we’ve given him, well my team did it, but I’m going to meet Francis this Saturday in [Los Angeles]. For sure, ONE can give him the largest offer on the table out of all those bids.”
He then added: “It has to work for him, it has to work for us. I just believe that when meeting somebody, you get the energy… I think there’s going to be big news on Francis shortly, he’s taking his time.”