Richard Schaefer disagrees with Francis Ngannou’s decision to part ways with the UFC.
Over the weekend, UFC President Dana White announced the promotion was unable to accommodate heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and would sever ties with “The Predator.” Instead, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will now fight former interim champion Ciryl Gane for the now vacant heavyweight belt at UFC 285. As Jones’ current career adviser, Schaefer, the longtime boxing promoter and former CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, spoke about the recent turn of events, suggesting Ngannou made a mistake by not re-signing with the UFC.
“I think he’s a great athlete and I think he has some big fights ahead of him and personally I think just my feeling that he made a mistake in not working out his deal with UFC,” Schaefer said Ariel Helwani in The MMA Hour. “But it’s his choice. That’s what he does, and the world goes on, and UFC goes on. There will be other big fights and there will be other heavyweights against the winner of this fight to fight Jon after he defeats Ciryl. So we will go ahead and keep doing our best to fight for the best, the best that is available.
Ngannou’s departure from the UFC, while sudden, was not entirely unexpected. The heavyweight champion has been open about his many issues with the promotion, including pay, scrutiny and the lack of respect he felt from the company. One of the biggest sticking points for Ngannou in re-signing with the UFC was the option to fight superfights in boxing, specifically one with heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Whether it was that particular point that ultimately caused Ngannou to turn down lucrative offers from the UFC is still unknown, but Schaefer is certainly hoping that wasn’t the blocker.
“Maybe he was a big star in the UFC, but did he really surpass the UFC?” Schaefer said. “I don’t know. I don’t know enough. I think he’s a great athlete, I think he’s very charismatic too, I’m a fan of his so I wish him the best. I just hope he doesn’t go to the boxing but that he finds the big fights he’s looking for…
“I wish fight fans, sports fans, would finally understand that if an MMA athlete goes up against a boxer in a boxing ring, the boxer is going to win,” Schaefer continued, explaining his disdain for the boxing move. “That’s out of the question. And if you have a boxer that competes in an octagon, the MMA guy, by MMA rules, the MMA guys are going to win. It’s two different sports and I don’t see in any way, shape or form that Francis Ngannou could go out and beat a Deontay Wilder or a Tyson Fury or an Oleksandr Usyk…
“If that’s the case, why do I need to see it? Why do I have to pay $80 or $100 to see a fight when I know who’s going to win? I’m not interested.”
What’s next for Ngannou isn’t certain, but what he’s leaving behind is: one of the greatest superfights in MMA history. For over two years, Ngannou and Jones braced themselves for a possible matchup and Ngannou has decided to re-sign with the UFC in what appears to have been the next fight for both men. Instead, Ngannou-Jones now joins the list of Most Wanted Fights That Never Was. But while fans may lament what’s been lost, Schaefer says he and Jones are strictly focused on what’s to come.
“I don’t think there’s any disappointment,” Schaefer said. “You kind of move on and that’s it. You can never say never. Who knows what the future will bring? [Jon] focused on this fight. It’s a big fight. I think these are the top two heavyweights fighting each other and it’s a massive fight so the focus is on that. You can’t go and cry about what could have been or anything.
“For whatever reason, Francis has decided to step aside. I respect that and wish him all the best. And who knows if that fight will happen later? Personally I think Ciryl with his skills and youth and whatnot is a bigger fight. It’s a bigger fight that would have been Francis. More of a challenge for sure and I think it just shows you how determined Jon Jones is to become the Heavyweight Champion. For him it was never, ‘Oh, I’m not going to fight this guy or I’m not going to fight this guy.’ For him it was: “I don’t really care. I want to fight for the world heavyweight title. Just bring whoever it is.’ Therefore he is the GOAT. GOATS do that.”
UFC 285 takes place on March 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.