Francis Ngannou got pretty heated when he issued a response to the recent criticism regarding his career.
Since his shock exit from the UFC in 2022, Francis Ngannou has only competed once in MMA, knocking Renan Ferreira out in October 2024.
Despite that, he will finally make his MMA return this May 16, when he takes on Philipe Lins on the Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano undercard.
And ahead of his highly-anticipated return to the sport, the former UFC champion has fired back at ongoing criticism regarding his legacy since leaving the premier MMA promotion.
Francis Ngannou: Keep the legacy, give me pay
This past Tuesday afternoon, the first press conference for the first MMA event on Netflix took place.
And following the press conference when talking to reporters, Ngannou was asked for his thoughts on the ongoing criticism he receives from fans who claim he has ruined his legacy since leaving the UFC.
“Give me a definition of legacy,” Ngannou asked reporters.
“Ah, like Muhammad Ali’s (lasting memory of the sport), okay, let me tell you what legacy is. My legacy right now is my kids, back home it’s my family getting health care, getting security, being able to put food on the table, being able to put a roof over their head.
“That’s a better legacy. You can have the Muhammad Ali legacy or whatever you want if your kid cannot attend school he has no place in society. If your kid doesn’t have food then legacy doesn’t do you for anything.
“You cannot go to the store or the gas station or the school and pay the scholar fee with legacy. They have to understand. This is some bulls— that promotion feed fighters and they’re all out there fighting for legacy.
“Good for you, keep the legacy, give me my pay that I deserve.”
Although the 39-year-old may not have been making money by fighting in MMA, he has achieved two huge paydays by fighting Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in boxing, earning more than he ever did during his UFC tenure.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ngannou was supposed to fight Rico Verhoeven
Despite fans being excited that ‘The Predator’ is returning to the sport, the general consensus is that it is poor matchmaking, which will make for an unexciting return.
However, during the press conference, Ngannou revealed that originally, he was set to fight Rico Verhoeven in his return to the sport.
That fell apart, though, when Rico Verhoeven received a huge offer to fight…
2026-03-11 14:00:00
