Francis Ngannou details how his last phone call with UFC went down

Francis Ngannou is no longer a part of the UFC roster. The former heavyweight champion and the promotion could not find a middle ground for his contract extension. The MMA free agent recently opened up about his last conversation with the UFC before his departure.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ngannou stated:

"The last time [the two sides spoke] was Tuesday, last Tuesday. They said they have to make a fight [on] March 4. They have to announce that fight, so they said, 'Let's try one more time.' We get on the phone, and I couldn't say yes about some things. It was a matter of principle."

Ngannou shared that he knew his time with the promotion was coming to an end, adding:

"At that time I knew that, 'Okay, this is it.' They didn't say it on the phone. They didn't say, 'Okay, this is what's going to happen,' but I knew. I knew how they do. It's their product so I knew this was coming. The war is on, they are coming after you."

Ngannou shared that he spent the next two days debating whether he had handled the situation correctly before ultimately deciding that he did as he had stuck to his principles. It remains to be seen what the next step will be for the former UFC heavyweight champion. However, he appears to have plenty of options.

Watch Francis Ngannou discuss his last phone call with the UFC below (starting at the 8:37 mark):

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Aljamain Sterling discusses Francis Ngannou's UFC departure

Aljamain Sterling recently weighed in on Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC.

The bantamweight champion shared that he felt both sides had made a mistake, claiming that a victory over Jon Jones could have increased the former heavyweight champion's popularity. 'Aljo' stated:

"Now, he [Ngannou] goes out, he's a free agent. How much money is he gonna really generate from these other promotions? I don't know. Can he get the Tyson Fury fight? If he does that, okay, good for him, because I think that's going to do huge numbers."

Sterling continued:

"I look at the UFC - you let the baddest man on the planet walk - over what? Is it because the guy wants to do a boxing fight while he's still under contract? I mean, Conor did it, why can't Francis do it?"

While Ngannou has not yet announced his next move, he did share that his departure wasn't motivated by a desire to make money. Despite this, he will likely earn far more from a boxing match [with somebody like Tyson Fury] than he would fighting in the UFC.

Watch Aljamain Sterling discuss Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC below (starting at the 2:12:30 mark):