BKFC President David Feldman has disclosed that he and his team have been in contact with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, but negotiations are not progressing smoothly. Speaking at a press conference held in Las Vegas on Tuesday ahead of BKFC’s event on April 29, Feldman appeared to be uncertain about the likelihood of a deal being reached anytime soon when asked about heavyweight Ben Rothwell’s interest in fighting Ngannou, who left UFC earlier this year. Feldman stated that “we’ve reached out to him, we’ve reached out to his team, and we just feel like he’s asking for unrealistic money, and we’re not willing to pay that kind of money for him.”

While Ngannou has expressed his intention to venture into the professional boxing arena, with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder among the named opponents he hopes to face, no arrangements have been confirmed as yet.

Meanwhile, both Bellator and PFL, MMA promotions, have touted their interest in hiring Ngannou. Bellator’s president, Coker, has even offered to facilitate Ngannou fighting under the Showtime Boxing banner via his promotional deal.

Regarding Ngannou’s free agent status, Feldman implies that his perceived value is deteriorating as time goes by. “I do think he needs to make his mind up pretty soon. As the days go on, his value is starting to drop a little bit,” Feldman said.