According to a recent announcement by CEO Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Championship will not be welcoming Francis Ngannou to their organization after all. The CEO had recently expressed his intentions to meet with Ngannou to provide him with the most promising offer out of all the bids he had received. However, Sityodtong later stated that ONE has chosen to withdraw from the bidding process altogether.

Sityodtong shared in a statement that, after giving the matter much consideration, it was decided that they will not submit their final offer. He offered Ngannou well wishes and added that the two lacked complete alignment on non-financial aspects of the potential partnership, but that it was nothing personal. Specific details regarding the conversation that influenced this decision haven’t been disclosed, and Ngannou has yet to respond publicly.

Francis Ngannou is a notable former UFC heavyweight champion who joined free agency after an impressive six-fight win streak. This series included victories over prestigious UFC champions such as Ciryl Gane, Stipe Miocic, Junior dos Santos, and Cain Velasquez.