Francis Ngannou slams fighters for staying shackled to UFC contracts

Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Since 2023, Francis Ngannou has taken a path that few others have followed.

After leaving the UFC following an extended contract dispute, Ngannou took his time before making his next move. He’s fought once in the PFL and has since pursued his long-standing interest in boxing.

His next fight is scheduled for May, where he will face Philipe Lins. It’ll be his first fight back since October 2024.

The event will also be notable as the first MMA card to stream on Netflix. As someone quick to take the opportunity, Ngannou believes plenty of other fighters should have done the same.

Francis Ngannou calls on UFC fighters to take control of their careers

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Ngannou is one of several former UFC fighters set to compete at the Inglewood Intuit Dome on May 16. Nate Diaz is scheduled to face Mike Perry, while Junior dos Santos and Muhammad Mokaev are also on the card, which will be headlined by Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano.

During a recent press conference in New York, Diaz described the event as one made up of ‘free’ fighters – a point that Ngannou strongly agreed with. And in an interview with ESPN, Ngannou elaborated on why he believes more fighters should consider free agency after seeing how this Netflix event has come together.

“There’s always the opportunity,” Ngannou said. “I think you just have to be around and be free. Make sure you’re in the position to catch that opportunity when it comes. If you get yourself stuck in a contract because you’re afraid of being alone out there, when the opportunity comes, you might be stuck in some contract.

“That’s what happened to a lot of fighters. They are just so scared of being free, being without promotion, without a promoter, or something that they can do. They will sign up for everything just to be in the promotion, and then the day that the opportunity, the real opportunity, comes around, they are not there.