There seems to still be some issue between Francis Ngannou and former promoter, UFC CEO Dana White, but “Predator” is ready to move on to the next chapter in his fighting career.
The bad blood between Ngannou and White has been well documented over the years. It’s hard to blame Ngannou for the public feud, but he’s found himself in White’s crosshairs for far too long. It all stems from turbulent contract negotiations between Ngannou and UFC that eventually led to his departure in early 2023. Ngannou found a great contract on the free agent market with Professional Fighters League (PFL) and even made two highly-lucrative professional boxing appearances along the way.
While the combat community has applauded Ngannou for leaving UFC and finding his true worth on the open market White can’t seem to get over it. This was never more evident than on Thursday night when the UFC CEO was asked about Ngannou’s recent PFL debut, which ended with a first-round knockout win (see HERE). Instead of lifting Ngannou up and praising his efforts as a combat trailblazer, White revealed that he nearly cut “Predator” years ago and didn’t have too many nice things to say.
“[Ngannou’s performance] was better than Donn Davis’ — way better,” White told reporters during Power Slap 9’s post-fight press conference. “Listen, man, I’m going to tell you what I think about Francis — Francis is all about the money. Francis left because he knew if he fought Jon Jones and didn’t win, it would hurt his chances of making the money he wanted to make. But, realistically, his deal was bigger here. His deal was bigger here if he stayed in the UFC. I think I told this story a million times. They can deny it all they want. Why the f—k would I lie? What do I care? It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.
“I was going to cut Francis when he lost two in a row,” White continued. “I was going to cut him. Somebody around here begged me not to do it. It wouldn’t have mattered to me one way or the other. There’s a much deeper story to this whole thing. He would’ve made more money if he would’ve stayed in UFC. He didn’t want to fight Jon Jones. That’s a fact, my friend. We’re moving on.”
Ngannou, who did in fact score some big paydays after his UFC departure, didn’t necessarily leave because he was being underpaid. The former UFC heavyweight champion wanted more freedom as a fighter and didn’t want to find himself being strung along by a powerful promotion that usually gets its way. That may be why White is so hung up on “Predator” and can’t seem to give him any praise at all.
On Friday, Ngannou fired back at White and his comments about their fallout a few years ago. As far as Ngannou is concerned, White lost the overall battle and needs to come to grips with that in order to move forward.
“I think Dana’s trying to make things up to buy good faith in the position he has lost,” said Ngannou during an interview with Sirius XM Fight Nation. “Dana has lost in this situation… and he cannot stand it. Bro, I won everything: I left. We’ve been apart almost two years and the guy is still out there, he can’t live without it, and hounding me. Regardless of what happened, I’m not about him.
“I went out there, did a fight, had a good fight for my son’s memory, but they guy can’t stand… I don’t know what his problem is. He can make everything up as he wants, that’s his problem. He needs to make peace with himself.
“You could’ve just said, ‘We couldn’t find an agreement, or couldn’t come up with a deal, good luck to him. That’s it, good for him,’ and we continue our lives,” Ngannou continued. “What’s the problem here? But I think the problem is that he can’t handle this loss. I’m sure he’s been praying for my downfall, but I keep doing my thing and rising as soon as I left the UFC. In any senses, I’m more than what I was.”
The PFL standout also posted the following message to Twitter on Friday afternoon:
Freedom isn’t free, but remember that the benefits always outweigh the price. Don’t let the bully talk you out of it.#Stayfocused pic.twitter.com/D4FxmEZrug
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) October 25, 2024
“Freedom isn’t free, but remember that the benefits always outweigh the price. Don’t let the bully talk you out of it.”
This probably isn’t the last time the two MMA figures will tango in the public eye, but what is your initial take on all of this? Does White’s comment hold any truth or is he still “bullying” Ngannou even after he has left UFC?
Sound off!