Francis Ngannou reiterated his desire to fight in the boxing ring after beating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last weekend, yet it turns out the UFC threatened the reigning heavyweight champion with a lawsuit for talking to people close to Jake Paul.
In fact, the 35-year-old revealed that he was sent a threatening email by the UFC as he was en route to Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
“I walked into the room waiting for my manager, my coach,” Ngannou said on The MMA Hour.
“And they were like, ‘Wow.’ I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’
“They told me they just received an email from the UFC saying they’re going to sue [his agent, Marquel Martin] for talking with this guy, Nakisa [Bidarian, Jake Paul’s business partner].
“Yeah. I’m like, ‘Who is Nakisa?'”
Previously, Bidarian served as the UFC’s chief financial officer and is currently an adviser to Jake Paul, as well as being the co-founder of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions company.
Ngannou, however, stressed that he does not know who Bidarian is.
“I wouldn’t recognise him if you put him in front of me,” Ngannou stated.
Ngannou vs Fury
With Ngannou having made clear his desire to try his luck in a boxing match, he has had a back and forth online with Tyson Fury in what could be a lucrative fight for both fighters, as the Gypsy King highlighted after Ngannou’s win at UFC 270.
“Congratulations @francis_ngannou but if you want to make some real money come see the GK,” tweeted Fury.
