UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is coming out.
Ngannou, who unified the belts with a win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, explained via video his thoughts on his current situation.
“They tell me that I’m an independent contract,” Ngannou said. “Maybe because that’s the way that doesn’t guarantee me monthly wage or doesn’t give me health care. I don’t feel like an independent contractor.
“I don’t have that freedom. Freedom, which is something very important for me.”
Ngannou’s contract expired after the win over Gane, which moved him to 17-3. He has picked up wins over Stipe Miocic and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in recent years.
But that has been the biggest problem for Ngannou. He feels the UFC has not provided him the fights they guaranteed when he signed.
“In the past two years they claim to provide three fights every year,” he said. “I have fought twice. I could at least fight five times.
“I felt like I was freezed to get financial pressure, to come to an agreement, to need them.”
For the time being, Ngannou is on the sidelines both with the contract situation and to recover from knee surgery.
