Francis Ngannou gifts fight bonus to rival in generous gesture after devastating KO

Francis Ngannou has gifted his $100k bonus to Philipe Lins after their showdown.

Ngannou made his MMA return under the Most Valuable Promotions banner on the Ronda Rousey undercard.

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He took on natural light-heavyweight Lins in his latest appearance, in what ended in a brutal stoppage.

It always felt like the Brazilian was on borrowed time, and the Cameroon star detonated his trademark power late in the first.

Lins was brutally stopped as a devastating left hook hit the target and the contest was waved off.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as his bank account was given a significant boost.

That is because Ngannou made a generous gesture to his opponent after the bout.

He was rewarded with a $100k Performance of the Night bonus for his endeavours.

And he announced at the post-fight press conference that he would be gifting it to Lins as a hugely generous gesture.

It was a mark of real respect between the pair, with Ngannou getting the statement stoppage he craved.

He explained his decision: “Even though he was promoted, I believe that he was being underestimated.

“I saw a lot of people count him out. The guy that I faced tonight, of course, I won, but he was tough. 

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“By the way, I think he’s the guy that deserves the Performance of the Night. We should give the Performance of the Night to Philipe Lins.”

Ngannou’s earnings

Ultimately despite gifting his $100k bonus to his opponent, it was still a profitable night for the powerhouse.

He earned a reported $1.5 million for his clash, which made him the second highest-paid fighter on the card behind Rousey.

It is far higher than what he largely generated per fight during his UFC career, including the $600,000 purse for facing Cyril Gane in his last bout.

He will hope for more lucrative paydays to come, particularly if he continues working with Paul’s promotion.

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