Francis Ngannou Rejects Jake Paul Offer: “Don’t Disrespect Me Like That”

As the fallout from Gervonta Davis’ lawsuit continues to ripple through the combat sports world, Francis Ngannou has made one thing clear he won’t be the man to replace him. With Jake Paul’s Netflix exhibition against Davis canceled amid Davis’ new legal troubles, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) has reportedly explored replacement opponents, including Ngannou, Nate Diaz, and others. But according to Ngannou, there’s “no chance” he’ll take that call.

“No, there’s no such thing happening,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “Basically, how can they go from Gervonta Davis to Francis Ngannou? Gervonta is a one-shot knockout artist — but come on. We’re way different. It makes no sense.”

Ngannou: “Don’t disrespect me like that”

The former UFC heavyweight champion and current PFL star revealed that MVP contacted him directly about potentially stepping in for Davis, but he quickly shut the conversation down.

“They said, ‘We’re looking for a replacement,’ and I was like, ‘OK, what exactly can I do for you?’” Ngannou said. “He was like, ‘We are thinking about you to fight Jake to replace Gervonta.’ I was so confused. I wasn’t expecting that at all.

“I’m like, ‘No, bro. Come on. Don’t disrespect me like that.’”

Despite reports that the fight could have been enormously lucrative, potentially generating millions of views on Netflix, Ngannou insisted the money didn’t matter.

“They even came out after and said, ‘What if the numbers are good?’ He sent some numbers, and I’m like, ‘It’s not about the number,’” Ngannou said. “If it was about the number, I would tell you. I’m just not interested. He makes no sense for me. He’s not what I’m looking at right now.”

A step backward for “The Predator”

While Paul (12–1, 7 KOs) has built his boxing career facing ex-MMA fighters such as Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz, a bout with Ngannou (18–3 MMA) would represent a massive size and experience leap. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Cameroonian is fresh off high-profile boxing bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, as well as a dominant PFL debut knockout of Renan Ferreira in October 2024.

But from Ngannou’s perspective, Paul isn’t the right challenge not competitively, not professionally, and not symbolically.

“The fight makes no sense,” Ngannou said flatly. “That’s my position. I think it’s disrespectful. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s not the way that I see it. I have no interest in that.”

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Robert LaMar is a writer  for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26