Ngannou pays back $200,000 loan from Kamaru Usman thanks to earnings from bouts with Joshua and Fury

Even after his defeat to Anthony Joshua on Friday, Francis Ngannou is richer now than he ever was in the UFC. And for that, he acknowledges he owes some of his boxing fortune to a famous friend.

The former UFC heavyweight champion made the bold decision to get out of his contract with Dana White's company in 2022, as he pursued a more lucrative path in heavyweight boxing.

Ngannou made his debut in October 2023 against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and surprised everyone by scoring a knockdown in round three, before he was controversially denied the win on a split decision.

Encouraged by his display, he faced two-time former champion Joshua in Saudi Arabia on March 8 to test himself against the British boxer. However, Joshua outclassed him and secured the knockout in round two.

 Despite losing, Ngannou earned a tidy ($20m) £15.75m payout from the fight after previously earning just under $10m for facing Fury.

And with the lucrative sum boosting his bank balance, Ngannou revealed he can now pay back his friend Kamaru Usman, who lent him a huge sum of cash when he left MMA behind.

"He knew about stuff I turned down from the UFC during negotiation," Ngannou said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast.

"Even my last fight in the UFC, you know I took $600,000 in my last fight in the UFC as opposed to the $5 million that they were offering for the same fight. I was like, 'Bro.' And, I was broke, at the time. I owe Usman, I owe him $200,000."

It's currently unclear what the Cameroonian plans to do after his defeat to Joshua, but at the very least, he can pay back Usman after his generous loan.

The 37-year-old also signed an MMA deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) last year, and they have named Brazilian giant Renan Ferreira as his debut opponent.

However, it is yet to be determined when that will be or if Ngannou will decide to give boxing one last go before returning to combat fighting.