It doesn’t look like Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will be an
option for ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis
Ngannou.
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During a press conference for BKFC 41 on Tuesday, promotion
president David Feldman briefly addressed the possibility of
signing Ngannou. The topic initially arose when Ben Rothwell
was asked about fighting Ngannou under the BKFC banner.
“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.”
Ngannou was released from his UFC contract at the beginning of the
year after failing to come to terms with the Las Vegas-based
promotion for a fight with Jon Jones.
Ngannou recently said that he is in
talks for a boxing match against Deontay
Wilder this summer, but thus far nothing has been announced.
Ngannou has also repeatedly been linked to a bout with Tyson Fury,
and on the “The MMA Hour,” he recently
revealed that he is looking at signing with MMA promotions like
One Championship and Professional Fighters League.
According to Feldman, Ngannou’s value may decline the longer he
remains a free agent.
“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.”