Francis Ngannou recently revealed that was financially struggling before his last fight under the UFC banner…
To the extent that Kamaru Usman, the former UFC welterweight champion, provided him with a $200,000 loan.
Reflecting on his financial circumstances around the time of his UFC departure, Ngannou disclosed that for his bout against then-interim champion Ciryl Gane, he received a purse of $600,000; a figure significantly lower than what was initially proposed by the UFC.
Ngannou shared more in the conversation with Pound 4 Pound:
He (Kamaru Usman) was aware of many offers I declined from the UFC during negotiations.
Despite the UFC’s offer of $5,000,000 for the same fight, I only took $600,000.
I was indeed broke at that time, and I owed Usman $200,000.
He further elaborated on his decision:
I had a vision and my path, which I was determined to follow, regardless of the monetary offer.
Yes, I desperately needed the money, having never seen such an amount before, but I couldn’t compromise my aspirations for it.
Ngannou is taking on former world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, today – March 8, in the boxing ring.
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