Alexander Volkanovski claims former UFC champion Francis Ngannou could join WWE, doesn't rule out potential UFC return

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, UFC's pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski lauded former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou for taking a chance on himself and leaving the promotion.

Earlier this month, 'The Predator' cut ties with the world's premier MMA promotion after failed contract renegotiations. The UFC denying him the opportunity to participate in boxing matches was one of the prime reasons for Francis Ngannou leaving the organization.

Watch Francis Ngannou explain why he left the UFC below:

Volkanovski thinks that the former heavyweight kingpin could land extremely lucrative opportunities elsewhere, in promotions like WWE. 'The Great' also believes that a future UFC return is still on the cards for 'The Predator':

"Respect to Francis for sticking to his guns and thinking, 'You know what, I know my worth, I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that, I want to chase big things,' which he’s obviously a big name and a big draw and a powerful dude. There’s probably a lot of money in other promotions or other sports." [h/t MMA Junkie]

Volkanovski added:

"So you could even see him doing WWE, going to Japan, and doing things like that over there. He’s chasing some big things. I think he could still come to the UFC, I think the UFC can definitely start the negotiations again and make something happen further down the track." [h/t MMA Junkie]

In the wake of the Cameroonian's unexpected departure from the promotion, the UFC has scheduled a heavyweight title bout between former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former heavyweight title challenger Ciryl Gane for UFC 285.

Place your bets for the upcoming UFC fight night main card and earn $$$.

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Dana White details why Francis Ngannou left the UFC

Let's just say that the UFC Fight Night 217 post-fight press conference had its highs and lows.

Dana White announcing Jon Jones' heavyweight debut was definitely a win for fight fans. At the same time, the UFC president had to announce the release of Francis Ngannou.

According to the 53-year-old White, Ngannou wanted to cut ties with the promotion even after the UFC offered him the highest salary in the history of the heavyweight division.

The UFC president stated that 'The Predator' perhaps wanted to face lesser competition for more money going forward:

"We offered Francis [a deal] that would've made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company. More than [Brock] Lesnar, more than anybody and he turned the deal down... I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn't want to take a lot of risks... where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money. So we're going to let him do that."

However, in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, the former heavyweight kingpin told Ariel Helwani that a plethora of factors apart from monetary reasons played a part in him deciding to leave the promotion.