During the BKFC 41 press conference held in Las Vegas on Tuesday, BKFC President David Feldman shared that he has been in communication with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
However, Feldman stated that the two parties seem to have different expectations.
When BKFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell was asked about his interest in facing Ngannou, who recently left the UFC, Feldman responded with uncertainty about the possibility of a deal being reached in the near future.
“Francis Ngannou, he’s somebody we’ve certainly reached out to,” Feldman said. “We’ve reached out to him, we’ve reached out to his team, and we just feel like he’s asking for unrealistic money, and we’re not willing to pay that kind of money for him.”
Although Francis Ngannou has expressed his desire to enter the professional boxing scene with hopes of fighting well-known boxers such as Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, or Deontay Wilder, no official announcement has been made.
Bellator and PFL, both MMA promotions, have shown great interest in signing Ngannou. Bellator president Coker even suggested that Ngannou could fight under Showtime Boxing's banner in conjunction with his promotional contract.
BKFC President David Feldman believes that as Ngannou's free agency status lingers, his perceived value is declining.
“I do think he needs to make his mind up pretty soon,” Feldman said. “As the days go on, his value is starting to drop a little bit.”