Francis Ngannou is one of the biggest names in combat sports. The former UFC heavyweight champion was one of the most dominant fighters in his division before moving away from UFC. Ahead of his unprecedented boxing match with Tyson Fury, the first-ever purse of the Cameroonian-French fighter has been revealed.
Francis Ngannou got paid around $2,113 (€2000) to showcase his fighting ability. He received the sum in a brown envelope and stuffed it into his mattress for safekeeping. The MMA superstar escaped poverty through fighting and is set to receive the biggest purse of his career with his fight with Tyson Fury.
Ngannou was meant to receive his first purse for finishing in an MMA in a gymnasium in Paris back in 2013. However, the promoters did not pay for winning the two fights on his way to the final.
After hiding his first fight pay of €2,000 under his mattress a decade ago, @francis_ngannou now stands to make millions for his pro boxing debut.@DeclanTaylor87 talks to the former UFC champion about his rise to prominence.
Read here: https://t.co/5TLFnxrlC0#FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/37g9q0G1dh
— Boxing News (@BoxingNewsED) October 27, 2023
He revealed details about the tournament in a recent press conference: “It was in a gymnasium in Paris, I was fighting this guy, the only reason I was fighting him was because I trusted my boxing. Having been in the gym for three months I didn’t know much about MMA, I didn’t even know the rules, it was just fun and a passion.”
He later revealed that it was after the tournament he received his first paycheck of $2,113 (€2000) when he got another opportunity in the MMA world. A decade later, he is being mentored by his idol, Mike Tyson, as he steps back into the world of boxing to face the biggest name in the sport.
Francis Ngannou’s biggest fight purse till date
Ngannou was the biggest star in UFC when he shocked the world and moved away from the promotion back in 2022. As per reports, the former heavyweight champion has earned a whopping $3.77 million during his time in UFC.
During his stint with the MMA promotion, his biggest fight purse came against Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. After winning four fights in a row, Ngannou was in form and has gone through everyone in the division. He challenged Miocic for the heavyweight title.
Francis Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin says Ngannou is making more for the Tyson Fury fight than his UFC purses combined “by far, by multiples” 💰 #TheMMAHour
“The bag is so big, he may actually just drop it on the way to the bank.”
▶️ https://t.co/0KOuO25dO7 pic.twitter.com/4GX4OwmqYs
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 12, 2023
In the second round, he knocked Miocic with a nasty punch and became the new heavyweight champion. For the event, he earned an overall sum of $580,000 which included $500,000 to show, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and $30,000 as the fight week incentive pay. This was Ngannou’s highest payday.
It is to be noted that Ngannou was criminally underpaid in the UFC and his pay was one of the biggest factors in his exit from the UFC. Now in 2023, Ngannou is set to smash his record of his biggest purse. Francis Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin revealed earlier that Ngannou is set to make more for the Tyson Fury fight than his UFC purses combined “by far, by multiples.”
The future is bright for Ngannou with his latest Professional Fighters League (PFL) deal that he signed in May 2023. It has been revealed that apart from receiving some equity and ‘leadership roles’ in PFL, the prized fighter will earn 2–3 times his whole UFC earnings per fight.
The biggest purse list will surely undergo a drastic change after his boxing debut against Tyson Fury as well as his highly expected debut in PFL.