Francis Ngannou

Chael Sonnen has questioned Francis Ngannou’s wisdom. Photos: UFC/Getty Images

Francis Ngannou doesn’t hold all the cards says former UFC title challenger

Chael Sonnen believes that Francis Ngannou is struggling with negotiations with other promotions because of a lack of savvy.

Francis Ngannou

Chael Sonnen has questioned Francis Ngannou’s wisdom. Photos: UFC/Getty Images

Retired UFC fighter Chael Sonnen believes that Francis Ngannou is struggling with negotiations with other promotions because of a lack of savvy.

Francis Ngannou doesn’t hold all the cards

Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou of Cameroon reacts after his victory over Stipe Miocic. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Ngannou was the UFC’s Heavyweight Champion when he parted ways with the company.

However, Sonnen feels he was foolish to leave with no firm deal on the table.

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“The promoter will not look at it and say ‘My business would be better, my night would be better.’” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. 

“If – through the other door – if my competitors don’t have him either. ‘I need you’ is an equal emotion, and it’s an equal business decision, to ‘I don’t want him to have you.’ They’re dead even. And that’s a piece that the fighters miss, or if put in the same position would miss.

“It’s very important that you understand that you would have a value to pull you off the market and you would have a value to keep it off a competitor’s channel, because you are bigger and you are better than whatever I feel I could match or counter program them with. Them having you would win the night before we even get going. But if they don’t have ya, I don’t need ya. And that’s the part the athlete misses. It’s not all about ‘Let’s sit down and let’s talk so I can make you happy and I can have you.’ It’s not. That’s not all the strategy does.”

An imminent signing

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It has been reported by Ariel Helwani, that Ngannou is close to signing a deal with a new promotion, and rejected moving forward with negotiations with ONE.

“Francis’ side of the story is a little bit different,” Helwani said on The MMA Hour. “Francis is very close to signing a new deal with another promotion. And according to Francis, he was very up front about this. And so they left the meeting on good terms, but both of them came to an understanding that because he had already kind of verbally committed to someone, more than likely he’s not going to ONE.”

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