INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Francis Ngannou has been doing the rounds online for many different reasons.
Since Ngannou (18-3), a former UFC heavyweight champion, booked his return to MMA, he’s been vocal on some spicy, trending topics. He’s also been under scrutiny for the overall handling of his fighting career. Ngannou, who returns to the cage against Philipe Lins on May 16 on Netflix’s first-ever MMA event, has been criticized for ruining his legacy in these recent chapters of his fighting career.
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Ngannou was unhappy in the UFC and wanted out of the promotion, so he left the UFC as a free agent in January 2023, even though he held the heavyweight title. Since he’s only fought once in MMA, beating Renan Ferreira under the PFL banner, and he competed twice in boxing, losing a decision to Tyson Fury and being badly knocked out by Anthony Joshua. Many haven’t been fans of this run and the decisions that led to it.
But for Ngannou, he couldn’t care less about people’s opinions and his legacy in the sport.
“Let me tell you what’s the legacy,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie. “My legacy right now, is my kids back home, with my family back home, getting healthcare, getting security, being able to put food on the table, being able to put a roof on their head. That’s a better legacy. You can have the Muhammad Ali legacy or whatever you want.
“If your kid cannot attend the school, he has no place in the society. If your kid doesn’t have food in the stomach, that legacy doesn’t help you for anything. You cannot go to the store or to the gas station, or pay a school fee with a legacy. You have to understand that this is bullsh*t that promotion tricks fighters with, and they’re all out there fighting for legacy. Good for you. Keep your legacy and give me my pay – what I deserve.”
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Ngannou might not have the perceived prestige of being a UFC champion. However, he’s been vocal about making a lot more money from his last three fights than from his entire run in the UFC, which lasted 15 fights and nearly a decade.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Francis Ngannou goes on epic rant, destroys narrative about his legacy
