Following Francis Ngannou’s first defense of his heavyweight title, back in January, it seemed likely that Ngannou was set for a prolonged contract battle with the UFC. Already involved in a dispute with the promotion over their decision to create an interim belt in 2021, the ‘Predator’ only needed to sit out until early 2023 for the ‘champion’s clause’ on his contract to expire before he could potentially enter free agency.
Given that he needed knee surgery—and the lengthy recovery that entails, anyway—the idea that fans wouldn’t see the Frenchman until sometime next year seemed like a safe prediction.