Francis Ngannou is no longer the UFC heavyweight champion after his stunning departure from the MMA world leader. Of course, he’ll still have big-money fight options in front of him as the biggest free agent in combat sports.
Last week, UFC fans were stunned when it was revealed by company president Dana White that the promotion and the reigning heavyweight king could not come to terms on a new contract, and he was free to seek out a new fighting home after being released from his current contract.
The move was shocking but not completely unexpected. Before his title defense in January 2022, the Cameroonian let it be known he had no intention of fighting in the organization again until he received a significant pay raise. Furthermore, needing to undergo serious knee surgery and recovery after his UFC 270 win over Ciryl Gane only made waiting out the remaining time on his deal that much easier.
Despite rumors of a matchup with UFC legend Jon Jones, a booking and contract could not be finalized by both sides. Now, the rarity of a UFC champion hitting the open market has actually occurred, and “The Predator” is sure to soon get many big offers from around the combat sports spectrum.
With that in mind, let’s look at some possible opponent options for Francis Ngannou in 2023 and beyond.
