General
Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul (via Getty Images)
Jake Paul is once again searching for a new opponent after his scheduled fight with Gervonta Davis was canceled. Notably, Davis is facing a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend, forcing Paul’s MVP promotion to call off the November 14 Netflix fight.
Soon after, several names were discussed as possible replacements for a December fight, one of them being the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. However, Ngannou quickly dismissed the idea and was not happy about the offer.Speaking to TMZ Sports about his refusal, Ngannou explained that he found the offer disrespectful and not worth considering. He said he wasn’t turning it down for financial reasons but because the fight didn’t make sense to him at this stage of his career.
Ngannou made it clear that money was not the issue and that he simply had no interest in taking on Jake Paul, calling the idea meaningless and not aligned with his current goals.Meanwhile, the former UFC heavyweight champion’s rejection didn’t sit well with the UFC legend Chael Sonnen, who called him out for hypocrisy.
General UFC veteran Chael Sonnen opines on Francis Ngannou refusing to fight Jake Paul
Chael Sonnen reflected on the fight’s current scenario exclusively on his YouTube channel.Sonnen said, “I would have really liked it if that match got booked.
I think that would just solve so many problems from a storyline perspective.”Further referring to Francis Ngannou’s recent fight with Tyson Fury, he pondered if Jake Paul would have survived those attacks. Sonnen also noted that it was quite strange that Ngannou was willing to fight the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, but not Jake Paul.“I don’t understand how Jake would be asking more from Francis than Francis asked of Tyson Fury and Joshua,” the UFC legend said.Calling Ngannou’s earlier boxing fights “cash-grab” bouts, Sonnen questioned what made the Jake Paul fight different. He discussed that the refusal is making Ngannou look unemployed and not courageous. “If you turn down fights that you don’t think are hard, or you turn down fights for any reason, it really doesn’t make you a courageous and noble man. It makes you unemployed”, Sonnen added. Meanwhile, Paul’s list of possible opponents is shrinking. With Ryan Garcia and Nate Diaz out, Terence Crawford is being considered as the only name still in the mix. Also Read: Ariel Helwani hints UFC might soon face serious betting scandal amid FBI scrutiny over NBA gambling controversy