"I can't understand it" - UFC welterweight puzzled by Francis Ngannou turning down Jake Paul fight offer

Joaquin Buckley recently questioned Francis Ngannou turning down a potential fight against Jake Paul after the former Disney star's bout against Gervonta Davis fell through.

Paul and Davis were scheduled to throw down in an exhibition boxing match later this month. However, Davis was hit with a fresh civil lawsuit by his former partner last week for alleged battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In light of these developments, the promoters pulled the plug on the bout while confirming that 'The Problem Child' will fight someone else in December. Ngannou was among those reportedly approached, but the ex-UFC heavyweight champion turned the offer down.

In a recent YouTube video, Buckley expressed his confusion and questioned Ngannou's decision to refuse the fight:

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"Out of all those people, the last person I would expect to say no was Francis Ngannou. That is crazy. At the end of the day, this sport is all about getting money. We all prize fighters. When Francis Ngannou said, 'I don't want to get disrespected,' the best way to make somebody respect you is when you put your fist on their chin and knock them out, and you get money for it."

He continued:

"I'm talking about how much money you make and get when you ain't worrying about the money no more. So he must be making some good bread because I can't see it. I can't understand it. Because if you boxers and you fighters are really tired of Jake Paul f*cking up boxing, then get his a** somebody." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full video below:

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Francis Ngannou on being approached for potential Jake Paul showdown

Francis Ngannou isn't interested in fighting Jake Paul in the squared circle and doesn't see money as a defining factor. The ex-UFC heavyweight champion recently addressed being sent an offer by Paul's team.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Ngannou explained why he turned down the fight:

“No... How can they go from Gervonta Davis to Francis Ngannou?... Come on, the weight difference and everything, it makes no sense. Gervonta Davis, you count and say, okay, the size difference, he can level up. But at this point, for me, it makes no sense.”

He added:

“I’m like, ‘No bro, come on. Don’t disrespect me like that.' They even come out after and say, ‘What if the numbers are good?’ He sends out some number, and I’m like, ‘It’s not about the number. If it was about the number, we could have started up.’ I’m just not interested, it makes no sense for me. It’s not what I’m looking at right now.”

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Edited by Nishant Zende.