Exclusive: Frank Mir believes UFC handled Francis Ngannou situation poorly despite having a blueprint: "The ball was dropped there"

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir seemingly feels Francis Ngannou's situation was mishandled by the UFC. The legendary submission artist believes the MMA organization could've done more to re-sign Ngannou.

Then-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou defeated then-interim UFC heavyweight titlist Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision to unify the titles at UFC 270 (Jan. 2022). Extensive negotiations between him and the UFC ensued. Regardless, in Jan. 2023, Ngannou was stripped of the heavyweight title and released from the organization. 'The Predator' signed with the PFL in May 2023.

Ngannou explained that the PFL contract permitted him to pursue a career in boxing as well. It was one of his primary demands that the UFC didn't meet. His pro boxing debut was a split decision defeat in a closely-contested fight against boxing megastar Tyson Fury in Oct. 2023.

Ngannou's second boxing match ended in a second-round KO against Anthony Joshua in March 2024. Additionally, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya recently criticized the UFC for attempting to erase Ngannou from the UFC's history by excluding him from the UFC 305 promotional content that referenced the 'Three Kings of Africa' (Ngannou, Adesanya, and Kamaru Usman).

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, former UFC star Frank Mir referenced the iconic 2017 'money fight,' a boxing match between legendary pugilist Floyd Mayweather Jr. and former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor.

The 45-year-old indicated that the UFC should've similarly facilitated Ngannou's much-discussed boxing matches against Fury and others. He feels they could've gotten their lawyers to secure Ngannou the deserved pay and represent MMA and the UFC in professional boxing.

The American fighter implied that Francis Ngannou fared well against Tyson Fury. Mir stated:

"I think the situation was handled poorly. I mean, they already had the blueprint to handle it the same way they handled Conor and Mayweather. I don't know why they didn't do the same thing. They sit there and go, 'Okay. Right now, Francis is, you know, a highly regarded combat athlete. He's our champion. They're talking about doing a boxing match with him versus, you know like, at the time, Tyson Fury-type fight.' Cool. Co-promotion; just work it together like they did, you know."

"Let Francis keep the lion's share of the income. The UFC is not going to, you're not going to lose, change their lifestyle if they don't make millions off this fight. It's like, just be a part of it, show good camaraderie. It shows, I mean, to me, it shows the loyalty then to the fighters that show such a high level. I really think the ball was dropped there."

Watch Mir discuss the topic below (13:09-15:20):

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Francis Ngannou's UFC exit, much-awaited PFL debut

Incidentally, Francis Ngannou trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. The world-renowned gym was founded by former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture who's long been at odds with UFC CEO Dana White.

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Couture addressed the UFC's supposed whitewashing of Ngannou from its history and noted that they did the same to him too.

Presently, Francis Ngannou is scheduled to fight Renan Ferreira for the PFL Heavyweight Superfight Championship in his PFL promotional debut on Oct. 19, 2024. Earlier this year, 'The Predator' appeared on the JRE MMA Show and spoke to Joe Rogan about being made the Chairman of PFL Africa.

The ex-UFC heavyweight underscored that he enjoys a healthier relationship with the PFL than he did with the UFC, adding that the "drama" with them contributed to his decision to leave.

Watch Francis Ngannou's assessment below (52:01):