BKFC President David Feldman says he’s been in communication with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, and it appears the two sides are on completely different pages.
At Tuesday’s BKFC 41 press conference in Las Vegas ahead of the promotion’s event on April 29, Feldman responded to a question asked to BKFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell in regards to interest in facing Ngannou, who made the decision to part ways with the UFC earlier this year. Feldman didn’t seem confident that a deal was going to get done any time soon.
“Francis Ngannou, he’s somebody we’ve certainly reached out to,” Feldman said. “We’ve reached out to him, we’ve reached out to his team, and we just feel like he’s asking for unrealistic money, and we’re not willing to pay that kind of money for him.”
Ngannou has said that he plans on trying his hand in the pro boxing world against a name like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, or Deontay Wilder, but as of now, nothing has been set or announced.
MMA promotions Bellator and PFL have both expressed great interest in Ngannou’s services, with Bellator president Coker adding the caveat that “The Predator” would be able to box under the Showtime Boxing banner in collaboration with his promotional deal.
As time goes on, Feldman believes that the perceived value of “The Predator” continues to diminish as his free agency status remains up in the air.
“I do think he needs to make his mind up pretty soon,” Feldman said. “As the days go on, his value is starting to drop a little bit.”
