UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus doesn’t believe Francis Nagnnou’s efforts to increase fighter pay will result in bigger purses for all.

The seemingly never-ending fighter pay debate has divided opinion among the UFC's biggest stars. On one side of the aisle, the likes of Ngannou, Jon Jones, and Paulo Costa have fiercely voiced their salary grievances. On the other side, Valentina Shevchenko, Kevin Holland, and Darren Till, among others, have publicly defended their employer’s remuneration practices.     

Other than perennial Dana White agitator Jake Paul—who’s made inflaming the fighter pay debate his pet project in recent months—there’s been no more vocal critic of the UFC than Ngannou. The 35-year-old, who’s been locked in protracted contract negotiations with the UFC for some time, has publicly declared he “would not fight for $500,000 or $600,000 anymore.” Ngannou has also consistently argued for more equitable contract terms.

Under his present contract, Ngannou is precluded from fighting outside of the UFC and therefore can’t test the market for higher pay. The Cameroonian, it seems, is willing to remain inactive for 12 months so as to annul his contract, and thereafter pursue a big-money superfight with heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury. As it happens, Ngannou is set to have knee surgery, taking his willingness to be inactive out of his hands.