Francis Ngannou is coming off a defense of his UFC heavyweight championship this past weekend at UFC 270. While the champion defeated his former training partner Ciryl Gane to retain his heavyweight gold, the real battle was going on outside the cage.

Ngannou has recently been having very public battles with Dana White and the UFC brass since his knockout win over Stipe Miocic in March 2021, which saw him claim the promotions heavyweight title. Ngannou has argued that he’s been paid far below what he is worth, and has openly sought a fight with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in the boxing ring.

Furthermore, it seems that Francis Ngannou has recently been in talks with Jake Paul’s manager Nakisa Bidarian. Bidarian is the leader of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and is the former Chief Financial Officer of the UFC from 2011-2016.

It seems the UFC got wind of the fact that Ngannou was in discussions with the boxing promoter, and has been leveled with a lawsuit.

WOW Francis Ngannou just told @arielhelwani that he and his team got an email from the UFC as they were on their way to the Honda Center that they were going to be sued after having talks with Nakisa Bidarian who is Jake Paul's promoter about Boxing#TheMMAHour #UFC270

— Jason Hagholm (@JHagholm1) January 24, 2022

Ngannou revealed the news on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, with the UFC heavyweight champion stating that the UFC informed him he was going to be sued on his way to the arena. That didn’t slow down the 35-year-old though, as he went on to defeat Ciryl Gane later that night via unanimous decision.

The UFC’s move to sue its current heavyweight titleholder comes as a shock. However, it’s less surprising when considering who Ngannou got in contact with. Ngannou contacting Jake Paul’s manager and promoter was always sure to anger Dana White.

White and Paul have had a war of words over the past few months. As the YouTuber-turned-boxer has opined that UFC fighters are underpaid, and White has responded with allegations of Paul being on steroids.

While there’s still not much information on the UFC suing Ngannou, the situation is sure to unfold in the days to come.

What do you think about the UFC’s lawsuit against Francis Ngannou?