UFC legend GSP tells Francis Ngannou he 'needs to be paid his value'

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre tells Francis Ngannou he ‘needs to be paid his value’ and insists heavyweight star ‘deserves his millions more than anybody’ as contract row rages on

  • Francis Ngannou is currently recovering from major surgery on his knee 
  • Heavyweight champion could end up leaving the UFC as a free agent  
  • His pay dispute with the organisation shows no sign of abating just yet 
  • Georges St-Pierre believes Ngannou needs to do whatever pays him the most 

Georges St-Pierre has told UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to test the waters of free agency to get paid his value. 

Ngannou is one of the biggest stars in the organisation and his contract dispute is a major headache for Dana White and Co. 

The powerful Cameroonian is currently recovering from a knee injury but could leave the promotion in December, when he can reportedly sign elsewhere. 

Francis Ngannou has been embroiled in a pay dispute with the UFC for some time 

He is seeking the option to chase lucrative boxing paydays in conjunction with his MMA career but so far the UFC are refusing to budge and the impasse has continued for months. 

GSP is fearful about how Ngannou would fare in boxing matches against the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, but thinks the heavyweight needs to make the best decision for his bank balance. 

He told The MMA Hour: ‘I’m telling him as a friend, he needs to get paid to his value. And if he’s not satisfied with what the UFC gives him, go get your service somewhere else where they’re gonna pay you well, because he’s not young. 

‘He’s coming to a point that, he’s a heavyweight, but heavyweight, you never know what can happen. One punch can change the fight. It’s very rare that you see a heavyweight staying champion for a long time because of that reason.

‘So he needs to get paid. He needs to go somewhere where he’s gonna be paid to what he’s worth, and if the UFC are not ready to do this, now he has the power on his side. 

Georges St-Pierre has urged Ngannou to leave if he needs to but was cautious about boxing

‘He can negotiate now, because of his contract. I believe he’s in a very good position right now.

‘I heard he fought with a knee injury. That’s crazy. He took an enormous risk and now it has to pay off. Things need to pay him, life needs to pay him back. He worked too hard for this. He deserves it more than anybody.’

In terms of a lucrative crossover fight with Fury, the Canadian fears for Ngannou. 

He went on: ‘I think he deserves it, that kind of money, millions of dollars, but deep down inside, because he’s such an incredible talent in MMA, I’m afraid that if he goes to boxing against Tyson Fury, yes he’s gonna make one shot against Tyson Fury with a lot of money, but he’s a specialist of mixed martial arts.

Ngannou defeated Ciryl Gane (left) to retain his heavyweight title at UFC 270 


Ngannou is seeking a lucrative fight with Tyson Fury (left) but also wants to stay in the UFC

‘Fury has boxed all his life, so the odds will go towards Fury in a boxing match. Of course they will never fight in MMA because Francis will crush him in under 30 seconds, but I’m just afraid that if he steps into boxing, maybe he’s gonna get the punch — sometimes that stuff can break a career.

‘So if I would be him, I would tend to fight in MMA as long as I’m not tired of doing it, and when he’s at the end of his career, if he wants to do a boxing fight, why not? But it’s up to him. 

‘He can do whatever he wants. And if you look at him, all his life, the odds were always against him and he always made it. So maybe he’s gonna knock out Tyson Fury and I don’t know what I’m talking about. Who knows? I wish him the best.’

It will be fascinating to see what Ngannou decides to do, whether that be signing for a rival MMA promotion, chase his boxing dreams without any ties or finally put pen to paper on a new UFC deal. 




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