Francis Ngannou believes UFC is at fault for the state of heavyweight MMA.
It’s no secret that the golden ages of MMA heavyweights from the likes of Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop in Pride FC to Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos in UFC are long gone. Some analysts have gone as far as to question whether or not UFC should even carry the division in 2026 and beyond.
During an interview with The Schmo, Ngannou, who is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, said the promotion he used to call home is at fault for issues in the division.
“Well, I think there is a lot of, I would say, mismanagement,” Ngannou said. “There is a lot of mismanagement that sometimes get stuff screwed up, and that’s why we are where we are today. You see even now, there’s a lot of heavyweights out there like Tom Aspinall. He’s having troubles with this. I think there’s mismanagement. All these situations is not calm and entertaining.”
Ngannou continued, saying he doesn’t agree with how fighters have been handled under the UFC banner.
“When I say mismanagement, I wasn’t talking about like manager,” Ngannou said. “I was talking mostly about promotion kind of things. So, I think there’s something like that out there, which is not right.”
There is some renewed hope in UFC’s heavyweight division with the signing of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Many believe Steveson might develop into a dominant champion over the next few years. Personalities such as Josh Hokit have also emerged, leading to some optimism from others who believe the division is worth keeping.
Do you think there’s still some life in UFC’s heavyweight division, or do you agree with the critics who feel all hope is lost? Sound off by sharing your opinion in the comments below.