BKFC Prez on Francis Ngannou: “His Value is Starting to Drop”

About three months have passed since Francis Ngannou formally became an independent free agent.

The move saw him relinquish the UFC heavyweight title and leave MMA's top organization due to a long-running contractual issue that could not be resolved.

Several organizations have shown interest in obtaining the Cameroonian's signature since then. The first promotion to do so in the immediate aftermath was the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

BKFC's social media account hinted at a pursuit of the free agent, and its president David Feldman acknowledged that his company was "extremely interested" in signing Ngannou, calling him a "perfect fit" for the bare-knuckle organization.

Feldman spoke during the press conference for BKFC 41 on Tuesday, which will feature former UFC champion Luke Rockhold vs. Mike Perry and lightweight great Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes.

During the press conference, Feldman was asked about the latest developments in his talks with Ngannou. While the founder and president of BKFC stated that he has spoken with "The Predator," he labeled the former UFC fighter's financial demands as "unrealistic."

"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. We’re not willing to pay that kind of money for him."

"I do think he needs to make his mind up pretty soon,” Feldman asserted. “As the days go on, his value is starting to drop a little bit."

Although Ngannou has expressed a desire to return to MMA, among other things, it appears that his immediate priorities are in the ring.