Jake Paul reacts to Francis Ngannou being released by the UFC

Jake Paul has weighed in on Francis Ngannou breaking ties with the UFC over pay disputes. 'The Predator' is now a free agent and is at liberty to accept lucrative offers from other promotions.

Paul took to Twitter to share his reaction after the promotion failed to come to terms for a contract extension with their heavyweight champion. He mentioned that regardless of where he competes, the 36-year-old is still the "baddest man on the planet," writing:

"Francis Ngannou is the baddest man on the planet & is a free agent bc he chose to be. He’s the heavyweight champ in MMA & will be until he loses."

'The Problem Child' also added that despite releasing the Cameroonian from his contract, the UFC isn't too happy about failing to re-sign their top heavyweight. He mentioned that the promotion will now have to live with their decision:

"They are not happy about this. But it’s reality, & they have to deal with it. They have to live with that everyday."

'The Predator' was stripped of his heavyweight championship, and the promotion subsequently announced that a new champion will be crowned at UFC 285.

No.1-heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane will fight former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 285 on March 5 for the now-vacant HW championship.

---

Will Francis Ngannou fight Tyson Fury?

One of the biggest fights that has been teased since 'The Predator's contract status was made public last year was a potential boxing bout against Tyson Fury.

Following Fury's win against Dillian Whyte last year, the then-UFC heavyweight champion was brought into the ring, with the two seemingly agreeing to fight each other. It's important to note that Ngannou was expected to be out of action for the remainder of 2022 to rehab from knee surgery.

Following his win at UFC Vegas 67, UFC middleweight Sean Strickland also spoke about the possibility of the boxing fight coming to fruition and mentioned that he would love to see the Cameroonian earn a big payday:

"I hope that [Francis Ngannou] and Tyson Fury fight for a lot of f****** money. That's the fight we deserve."

It remains to be seen whether the boxing bout will materialize now that the former UFC heavyweight champion is officially a free agent.