Francis Nagnnou says he has refused to sign a new UFC deal ahead of his heavyweight title showdown with interim champion, Cyril Gane.
Ngannou and Gane are scheduled to meet at UFC 270 in January, but that is set to be the final fight on his contract.
The promotion rarely let fighters as valuable as the Cameroonian fight out the last bout on their deal.
However, Ngannou knows his worth and says if UFC cannot pay him properly, he is going to go into heavyweight boxing.
In fact, he says he’s so underpaid that he has had to borrow money just for training camps.
Ngannou told Ariel Helwani during The MMA Hour: “They’ve been trying to apply pressure with those extensions, but I did not sign a new deal.
“And I think that’s basically the issue. That’s what’s causing all these issues because I don’t want to sign a new deal on certain terms.
“It doesn’t work for me because I don’t feel protected in those terms. In the past two years, I fought twice, and then I have to borrow money to leave.
“Nobody cares about it. I have no guarantee in that deal. And I have no quotation.
“So, based on that experience, I want to get something better. Better terms on my contract, and obviously, [get paid] what I deserve.”
A champion borrowing money for a training camp is not a good look and UFC president Dana White has come under pressure for how he pays fighters on multiple occasions.
“I feel like I shouldn’t need to borrow money for my training camp. At some point, I’m gonna go after [that boxing] money. I’m gonna go do that boxing. That’s for sure.
“That’s what it says, Independent Contractor, with a possible termination date. Then after that, you are free, right?
“Then you have a right from there to decide again where you’re going and what you’re gonna do.
“You don’t have to be forced to keep signing or to stay in the [same] contract. Then that’s not being an Independent Contractor.”
Jon Jones, a matchup many fans wanted for Ngannou, has also been sitting on the sidelines because UFC won’t pay him what he thinks is fair for such a banner matchup.
Not everyone can be Conor McGregor, it seems.