Francis Ngannou looks back on 2023 and the people who sought to take advantage of his name and manipulate it for money.
2023 was an absolutely huge year for Francis Ngannou that, frankly, may never be replicated again. When he parted ways with the UFC earlier this year, giving up his world heavyweight title, it was clear that it would be one of the biggest stories of the year 2023. Throughout the year, those in the combat sports world have given their opinions on whether betting on himself would pay off in the long run.
With the past year in the rearview mirror, it’s safe to say that Ngannou has played his cards right over the past 12 months. The former UFC champion not only signed a contract with the PFL which gave him everything he wanted financially… He also had the opportunity to participate in the biggest boxing fight that either for him. He now finds himself in a completely different position, with a huge year ahead of him, having almost achieved the unthinkable by beating Tyson Fury.
Francis Ngannou denounces organizations that wasted his time in 2023 by trying to use his name
While we can all look forward to the start of 2024 and talk about Francis Ngannou’s incredible performance throughout the year, it has not been without its setbacks and obstacles. After leaving the UFC, nothing was set in stone for him. Which led him to carefully choose his next home port. Although he ultimately had the last word on anyone who doubted him or tried to curb his ambitions, Ngannou did not forget the people who antagonized him.
He talked about the year 2023 in a recent YouTube video, where he did not fail to mention the bad sides of starting a business. Ngannou remembers people trying to use his name or lack of experience in the boardroom to their advantage, even though he is now at the top of the combat sports world.
“We negotiated and talked with different organizations that were interested…And a lot of them were just trying to navigate the narrative and get some sort of promotion. You know, we have a lot of different people, some are two-faced. It’s part of the job and it’s something I learned this year. This job can be nasty. There are people who pretend to be what they are not, there are many things. But it’s a big part of the learning process, because becoming a fighter, getting into that position, it’s not something you learn. Most fighters are never educated and that is why they continue to be fooled. »
Ngannou doesn’t name names… But there was a public and highly publicized disagreement between him and ONE Championship for the reasons he mentioned.
