UFC president Dana White announced the news at a press
conference on Saturday in the immediate aftermath of UFC Fight Night. White
announced that Ngannou has been stripped of the UFC heavyweight title and is a
free agent.
In a rare move, UFC waived its exclusive negotiating window
and there is no price matching clause. That means Ngannou can negotiate with
other promotions in MMA or boxing without interference from the UFC. White also
announced that Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones will be contested for the vacant UFC
heavyweight championship at UFC 285 in Las Vegas on March 4.
White accused Ngannou of wanting to face lesser opponents
for more money and stated that Ngannou could do that outside of the UFC, adding
that Ngannou likely would not have been ready to compete from March while
recovering from injury. Ngannou had repeatedly made it clear that he felt
shackled by the UFC contract.
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"We've been working on a new agreement with Francis for
like two years now," White said. "We had gotten to a point where he
was going to fight Jon Jones, many who believe he's the best of all time for
the heavyweight championship. And Jon Jones has been willing, and ready, and
able to fight anybody. He didn't care who it was. Could have been anybody in
the heavyweight division, he was ready to go.
"We offered Francis a deal that would have made him the
highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company. More than [Brock]
Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down."
Ngannou is currently on a six-fight winning streak defeating
the likes of Gane, Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez and Curtis Blaydes. He last
fought in January 2021 where he scored a decision win over Gane but has been
recovering from knee surgery ever since.