MMA legend Jose Aldo believes former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou “shot himself in the foot” by leaving the UFC.
Aldo (31-8 MMA) is set to return to action this evening on the main card of Gamebred Boxing 4. The former UFC featherweight champion will be squaring off with Jeremy Stephens (29-21 MMA) in a rematch of their UFC on FOX 30 fight from July of 2018. ‘The King of Rio’ won that MMA contest via first-round TKO.
Ahead of tonight’s highly anticipated fight card in Milwaukee, Jose Aldo spoke with the Trocação Franca podcast where he shared the following thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s split with the UFC.
“With all humbleness, I think Ngannou shot himself in the foot,” Aldo said (h/t MMAFighting). “He had everything to sign a great contract, the biggest in heavyweight, but this desire to be a boxing champion or to fight in boxing… People see the top of the boxing pyramid getting paid big numbers but forget that the lower part is paid so little. I think the UFC has bigger salaries than boxing.”
Jose Aldo continued:
“I see Ngannou tripping about a fight with Tyson Fury, a champion, who heavyweights aim at but don’t come anywhere near. It’s like saying I wanna play soccer because they get paid million but forget only five percent gets paid millions, the rest make way below that. People say that the UFC doesn’t pay that well, but it does. That’s why it’s the biggest organization. You can make money like [big] boxers can. Conor [McGregor], Ronda Rousey. People say women don’t make money and she’s made it, right?”
The former UFC featherweight kingpin continued:
“He’s leaving the UFC and you can be sure that 50 percent of everything he is is off his name now. Ronda, in order to make her movies, she had to be in the UFC. No one talks about Ronda now because nobody remembers her now. The UFC is elevated alongside the athlete. You need to be in there. You can have a partnership like Conor did with [the UFC for] Mayweather and that’s how he made millions.”
Concluding Jose Aldo said:
“I see several athletes imagining they can go to boxing, and they don’t even have good boxing. Ngannou has heavy hands, but if you look at his punch, it’s not a classic boxer that makes you think he will go in there and throw a punch like he does in the UFC and knock someone out. It’s a completely different sport, it’s a completely different fight. These guys are used with that.”
Do you agree with Jose Aldo that Francis Ngannou shot himself in the foot by parting ways with the UFC? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!
