Francis Ngannou has made peace with your next step in his profession, whether or not that’s within the UFC or somewhere else.

In different phrases, the UFC heavyweight champion received bend on his calls for will have to signal a brand new UFC contract. As he mentioned Monday on The MMA Hour Francis Ngannou estimates $7 million loss, he estimates he’s already left some huge cash at the desk to get so far.

“You’ll be unfastened and battle for the UFC,” Ngannou mentioned. “I simply need to be unfastened. We’re supposedly impartial contractors. [An] impartial contractor is technically an unfastened particular person. That’s the explanation why they want some changes in that contract. That’s what I’ve been combating for.”

The precise form of Ngannou’s freedom stays quite of an open query, and one this is extraordinary within the promotion’s historical past. The 35-year-old Cameroon local remains to be the heavyweight champion after a gutsy choice win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 and believes he has fulfilled his contract to the UFC. He’s keen to signal some other one, however, provided that the promotion makes concessions on a few of its longstanding industry practices (even because the promotion seems to have made them much less restrictive amid a long-running anti-trust case with former UFC opponents).

“The time period of the contract, the whole thing that they put into, they hang you in captivity,” Ngannou mentioned. “You’ll do anything else. You haven’t any rights. The contract is one-sided, even if you continue to don’t have anything. You don’t also have medical insurance, even whilst you’re striking your frame at the line to offer to place at the display.

“You’re risking the whole thing. There’s a large number of issues. We don’t have any insurance coverage. Not anything. No, ensure, which I perceive as an impartial contractor, however, deal with me as such if I’m. Whether or not I’m going to be a worker or an impartial contractor, make it very transparent within the contract. It’s very blended up.”

“That’s most definitely the object that I hated maximum about this, how they hang the entire playing cards, the ability to only wreck you,” Ngannou added later. “Once you don’t say sure, they simply take you down.

“There’s one thing flawed with me with the ones roughly issues, that I simply can’t take it.”

Ngannou mentioned the UFC on a number of events attempted to signal him to a brand new contract because the name unifier with Gane approached. (It’s unclear whether or not the one’s negotiations happened after his supervisor, Marquel Martin, mentioned the UFC had long past silent for 6 months after a contentious assembly.) A possible assembly between Ngannou and UFC President Dana White at a cafe in Las Vegas used to be “a just-right communicate, personal-wise,” however have shied away from the industry to hand.

Requested what he idea in regards to the new gives, the champ mentioned, “now not a just right deal for me.”

“More cash, however it didn’t elevate any of the issues that I’ve [asked for] … now not in point of fact, certainly not. The cash used to be tempting, it used to be just right, however, this isn’t as regards cash. By means of this level, I feel it’s much more than simply cash. At this second, it’s greater than cash. Simply cash can not repair this example. I don’t imagine that.”

At that time, he mentioned, he had reached the tip of his endurance and targeted as a substitute at the problem to hand, which grew to become out to be one of the vital tricky ones he had ever persisted.

3 weeks previous to the development, a sparring consultation with a less-experienced coaching spouse ended in nasty knee harm. A talk over with a Los Angeles physician showed the worst and instructed he may just undergo enduring harm if he selected to move ahead. At one level, he used to be unclear on whether or not he would battle. However given what used to be at the desk already, he made up our minds that it doesn’t matter what took place to him bodily, he would settle for the result.

Along with the bodily danger, there have been different exterior forces that added to the force he skilled. At the day of the battle, he mentioned Martin used to be threatened with a lawsuit for an alleged dialog with Jake Paul’s supervisor (and ex-UFC government) Nakisa Bidarian. (Bidarian and Martin didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.) Then, an unknown quantity with a 702 house code — serving the Las Vegas house — texted a racist message to Martin. (MMA Combating used to be not able to instantly test the authenticity of the textual content.)

“In truth, it used to be so much,” Ngannou mentioned. “I felt a large number of force, however as I mentioned, a large number of other people undergo a large number of issues they usually triumph over. That’s why me being a fighter, now not handiest within the octagon however in existence, other people undergo a large number of drama in their very own existence. However, that’s nonetheless now not a just right excuse to surrender. I feel the one second that you simply lose is the instant that you simply surrender. However, in case you stay combating — that’s now not dropping, irrespective of the result.”

“Even if they’re making an attempt to achieve out for a deal, they got here out with a just-right sum of money, however at this level that doesn’t even topic,” Ngannou added. “I left all that down at the desk. I’m taking my $600,000, I’m going there, I’m doing this and I’m profitable the whole thing.

“I left much more at the desk. General, I’ve been leaving some huge cash at the desk even for the reason that Stipe battle. By means of now, I may well be down $7 million that I left at the desk, however, I’m nonetheless pleased with my $600,000, as a result, I nonetheless battle for what I handle. That is the object. Freedom doesn’t paintings with cash. You surrender one for one. Whether or not you wish to have freedom, whether or not you wish to have cash. You surrender one to achieve one.”

In spite of the hurricane around him, Ngannou mentioned he felt a bizarre calm. Questions on his courting with Fernand Lopez, his former trainer, and Gane’s present one, and his contract scenario didn’t rattle him. He wasn’t even shocked a lot when French journalists hounded him with competitive questions, attributing it to their fair-weather loyalty and Gane’s French roots.

On the battle evening, Ngannou mentioned he may just pay attention to his corners higher than ever, and the messages relayed did precisely what they had been intended to do.

After the announcement of the winner, Ngannou regarded them at the back of him and noticed UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard. Even the absence of White — each within the octagon and on the press convention — didn’t rattle him.

“Bro, I don’t care about that — what’s the adaptation?” he mentioned. “I made my level. That can have now not even carry the belt, I’d be OK with it. I’m now not right here to move after some other factor, this took place, that took place. I’m glad. That’s all that issues.”

Ngannou had again and again been unsatisfied during his tenure within the UFC with lengthy stretches of inactiveness and lack of ability to chase his dream {of professional} boxing, amongst different objectives. On a number of events, the sensation seemed mutual, with White criticizing the champion for having an outsized “ego” and issue at the back of the scenes.

In spite of everything he’d been via, it will be comprehensible if Ngannou merely sought after to transport on. However requested at once about his want to battle for the UFC, he put the query to his promoter.

“Just right query,” he mentioned. “Do the UFC nonetheless need me to battle there? You will have to ask them. They will have to be the only ones answering that query. In the event that they make issues proper, sure [I will fight for them]. I’m keen to do no matter what it takes to get what I would like. As I mentioned even sooner than this battle, I walked into this battle understanding I can have misplaced this battle. However I reviewed the whole thing, and in me, if that is it, if that is the tip, let it’s my approach.

“It’s going to be on my approach. I’m going to make the decision on the way it ends. It received a finish on someone’s regulations. It’s going to finish on my regulations. If that is the tip, I’m glad. From the place I got here from, I’ve executed so much. Some other people would possibly now not see that, however, I’ve executed it and I’m more than happy about that. I’m pleased with myself. That may well be my ego, however, I’m pleased with myself, what I’ve accomplished. However, I don’t need all this to take what I’ve, to switch me, to switch my theory.”

Ngannou believes in his middle he’ll get the chance to field heavyweight champ Tyson Fury when all is alleged and executed. Despite the fact that the UFC elects to not re-sign him — or just makes a decision to strip him of his belt for turning down a battle — he feels assured that he’ll win his freedom.

“No, I’m now not fearful about [the UFC taking away the title], as a result of on the finish of the day, it’s only a belt,” he mentioned. “Once they take the belt away, I’m an unfastened agent. This belt is not going to make a champion. Without or with it, I’m nonetheless a champion. Let’s be transparent about that. Not anything will trade my standing about being a champion.”