Ngannou on Landing Fury Payday: It's Life Changing, Day and Night To What I Made in UFC

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is very pleased with the payday he's going to receive for his crossover boxing match with WBC world champion Tyson Fury.

Last year, Ngannou parted ways with the UFC and rejected their final attempt to retain him with a multi-fight contract.

Earlier this year, he signed an agreement with rival MMA organization PFL. Ngannou plans to make his debut for the company in MMA.

As part of the agreement with PFL, Ngannou was given the freedom to pursue a boxing career. The boxing scenario was firmly turned down by the UFC.

Ngannou's fight with Fury takes place on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ten round bout will be contested under traditional boxing rules, in a non-title setting.

Reportedly, Ngannou is going to make $8 million for the fight - which is more money than he's made in his entire UFC career.

“What I will tell you is that, compared to what I was making for my UFC fight, it’s day and night,” Ngannou said to The MMA Hour. “It’s life changing. And it would be the same thing if I was fighting in the PFL first. What I was making, what I did make in my last [UFC] fight, doesn’t even count. It’s not close, anywhere close.

“Definitely yes,” Ngannou added when asked if the purse was more than his entire UFC career combined. “One-hundred percent, yes. I didn’t make that much in my entire UFC career, basically after turning down all those contracts that could have made me more money. But yes, if we count it, absolutely.”

Ngannou was offered “around $8 million” to remain in the UFC and fight Jon Jones at UFC 285.

The MMA veteran explains that the UFC's contract was too restrictive and the agreement was not exactly what it appeared to be.

Ngannou indicates that he's going to make more for Fury than he would have made to fight Jones.

“I have heard so many times people say, ‘Oh, they offered him $8 million a fight, they offered him this and that,’ which is not exactly what [they offered],” Ngannou said.

“There was a trick there and it was bad. It was just in order for me to put the pen on the paper. There was just one big number and then behind it the paper was blank, pretty much. So it’s not like, I’m sure you’re going to say $3 million times three, for three fights. That’s not what it was. It wasn’t like that. It was the same tactic. To pull some number up and want to impress you to get you to sign that contract.”