ONE Championship withdraws from bid for Francis Ngannou
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong says that his promotion will withdraw from the bidding for former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou after what appears to be an unsuccessful meeting with the fighter.
“I met with Francis yesterday for almost three hours,” Sityodtong told the South China Morning Post via text message Monday. “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.”
Ngannou reportedly turned down an offer that would have made him the highest paid heavyweight in UFC history and parted ways with the promotion. As a result, his title was put up for grabs in a bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane. Jones ultimately won the contest and the title.
UFC President Dana White has stated that he will never work with Ngannou again and that the 36-year-old fighter from Cameroon is “impossible to work with.”
“At the end of the day, I didn’t feel Francis and I were fully aligned on non-financial matters,” Sityodtong added. “It is nothing personal. It is just a lack of alignment.”
