Stripped UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is apparently in talks with Misfits Boxing.
Since his decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last year, Ngannou has not competed. He has been out of the ring for more than a year due to undergoing a knee surgery.
Ngannou spoke about his conflicts with Dana White and the UFC brass before and after the bout. The heavyweight champion’s contract was also set to expire at the end of 2022.
Francis Ngannou made the decision to reject an estimated $8 million offer from the UFC earlier this month in favor of a less restrictive contract.. He apparently had other concerns including the absence of individual sponsors, health insurance, and a fighter advocate to be present during meetings.
The UFC swiftly scheduled Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane to compete for the vacant heavyweight championship in March. Ngannou is weighing his options,
He did make his intentions to stay active known earlier this week, maybe in his boxing debut. However. there was no formal announcement.
We now know that a boxing debut may take place with Derek Chisora as the opponent and under the Misfits Boxing promotion.
In a recent interview with Pro Boxing Fans, boxing promoter Kalle Sauerland spoke about the agreement and acknowledged that the two parties had previously spoken.
Derek Chisora presently has a 33-13 record in professional boxing after being stopped most recently by Tyson Fury in December.
Sauerland recently talked about Francis Ngannou. He stated:
“I’d love to sign him, I think he’d fit perfectly in with our crossover stuff with Misfits. We can build him on there, bring over Derek Chisora, a big fight like that you know? There’s a lot of good fights for him.”
He continued,
“I think Mams [Taylor] is speaking to their people. I’m sure a lot of people are speaking to their people, but I think we can offer him something unique. I’m not involved, but my partner Mams is discussing with his people, yes.”