According to well-known sportswriter Ariel Helwani, the Cameroonian heavyweight refused a contract with the Asian organization at a meeting with its president, Charty Sityodtong, because he gave verbal consent to the PFL league.
“Francis called me and we had a nice chat – his version of events is a bit different,” the reporter told the author’s The MMA Hour. “I can talk about it because he did not hide anything and was very open. Francis is close to signing with another organization. According to him, he frankly told ONE Championship about this, and they left the meeting on good terms, as both came to the understanding that if he had already given someone verbal consent, then he probably would not go to ONE.
“He understands, and frankly, I understand why Chatri did the way he did. He tried to get ahead of the story, save face, and said ‘we refuse’ instead of saying ‘we couldn’t make a deal with him’. He is very close to signing a contract and it could happen as early as this week.”
Recall that at the beginning of this year, Francis Ngannou officially vacated the UFC heavyweight championship belt, leaving the organization as a free agent. At the same time, the Predator made it clear that he plans to make his professional boxing debut before returning to mixed martial arts.