UFC Moscow: Francis Ngannou Outlines Why he Turned Down Chance to Fight Alexander Volkov

Grey Hardy has agreed to step in and face Alexander Volkov at UFC Moscow, but Francis Ngannou is reporting he also got the call for the short notice fight, before deciding to pass.

Hardy steps in for Junior dos Santos

Initially, Junior dos Santos was set to fight Volkov on November 9th, but the former heavyweight champ was forced to withdraw due to a nasty, bacterial infection in his leg. Hardy, meanwhile, is coming off a no-contest bout with Ben Sosoli at UFC Boston (Hardy won the fight but it was overturned because he used an asthma inhaler in between rounds) and he agreed to  step in for JDS.

Ngannou explains why he turned down the opportunity

Recently Ngannou spoke with TMZ Sports, and the heavy-handed fighter reported that his team also got the call for the Volkov bout. While discussing why he turned it down, Ngannou said this (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“Obviously, two days ago they called my manager if I wanted to fight,” Ngannou said. “Like, when? Of course I want to fight. Where and when, with who? ‘In 18 days.’ Really? For what purpose? What is the goal for this fight because it’s a step down for me. We’re talking about what, a title shot guarantee, a contract renegotiation, what? ‘No, we’re not talking about that. Just a fight.’ So we think about it and we’re like, what is the purpose to risk to go to the fight without a training camp because it’s just 18 days. This fight was announced maybe two months ago…

“We prefer, okay let’s put the fight, Alexander Volkov and I in Las Vegas, which is like, in almost eight weeks, seven to eight weeks. That would make more sense. By then I’ll have a good training camp, appropriate training camp for the fight.”

Now, considering Ngannou has taken out Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos in his last three fights – in his less than three minutes total – you can understand why the circumstances here are less than ideal. Ngannou has nothing to gain, other than a paycheck, by agreeing to fight Volkov, and he’d face the contender without a full camp.

But, you have to wonder if this is going to raise tensions further between Ngannou and the UFC. “The Predator” has made it clear he wants to fight before the year is up, and that he’s not happy about being on the sidelines. So, if the UFC cites the offer to face Volkov as the way they tried to address Ngannou’s concerns, how will that go over?