"It feels like a standoff" - Francis Ngannou's manager says they would 'love' to be with the UFC but explains some of their grievances

Francis Ngannou's agent Marquel Martin has revealed the details of their negotiations with the UFC.

Francis Ngannou is on the last fight of his UFC contract and has been demanding a pay rise. However, Martin claims that the complications are not due to financial reasons.

In an appearance on Renee and Miesha Tate's podcast, Martin claimed that there is a difference of opinion between Francis Ngannou's team and the UFC.

He said:

"It's not all about money. It's 1,000%, not about money, and they know that. But at the end of the day, the UFC has a business model, that's how they run it with all their fighters. They can't put themselves in a situation that negatively reflects them...They know that we are open to getting a deal done but they also know my phone number and how to get a hold of me. But they haven't offered any offer that makes sense for them and for Francis...They know where we are at and we know where they are at so it feels like a standoff..."

Francis Ngannou is set to defend his UFC heavyweight title against interim heavyweight title holder Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in the first pay-per-view event of 2022.

Gane, who possesses extraordinary skills in terms of his footwork and technical striking, is widely considered Ngannou's toughest opponent till date.

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Francis Ngannou's manager claims he has not heard from the UFC in 6 months

Francis Ngannou's agent Marquel Martin revealed he hasn't heard from the UFC in 6 months.

Marquel recalled meeting UFC president Dana White back in June but asserted that the conversation had gone nowhere. Since then the promotion has chosen not to reach out to Ngannou's team regarding a proposal to negotiate a future contract for 'The Predator'.

“At the end of the day, I work for Francis, and he and I spent a lot of time chatting back and forth and trying to understand, OK, exactly what does that mean for his future, and we’ve had a lot of back and forth with the UFC. But to be honest with you, I haven’t heard back from the UFC since I want to say June," said Martin. "Pretty much we all know that UFC, they hold a power position, rightfully so, and when it comes to representation like myself, and again, of course, I’m going to be biased, they’re not going to like what we have to say about how Francis’ future looks like and what that is valued at."

Watch Marquel Martin's full interview on 'Throwing Down with Renee and Meisha' on Apple podcasts below:

While Ngannou's contract negotiations remain stagnant, his upcoming fight against Gane will be much more significant than a usual title fight.

If successful in defending his title, Ngannou can leverage his win for future contract negotiations with the organization.