Tag: Dana White

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White Over Flip-Flopping Narrative

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White Over Flip-Flopping NarrativeFrancis Ngannou and Jake Paul are not letting UFC president Dana White off the hook for entirely changing his…

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White Over Flip-Flopping Narrative

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul are not letting UFC president Dana White off the hook for entirely changing his narrative and flip-flopping over the years.

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White

After his first title defense for greener pastures, the UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou walked away from the organization vacating his crown. The Cameroonian star signed with the PFL and took on two blockbuster boxing bouts against the royalty of the sport as he faced Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. It is estimated that Ngannou made over $30-$40 million for these three bouts.

When Francis Ngannou captured the UFC heavyweight throne, Jon Jones was the long-reigning light heavyweight champion but refused to step up to heavyweight. ‘Bones’ waited until Ngannou left the UFC before trying a heavyweight move. Dana White claimed this was because Jones was scared of Ngannou.

Francis Ngannou PFL
Photo by Tim Wheaton

As Dana White explained in 2021 after Ngannou captured the heavyweight title by way of knockout, suggesting Jones would be better off cutting to middleweight rather than up to heavyweight. White explained:

“If I’m Jon Jones and I’m at home watching this fight I’m moving to ’85 … If Jon Jones really wants the fight Jon Jones knows he can get the fight … If you really want the fight, Francis Ngannou is the heavyweight champion of the world right now, all he’s gotta do is pick up the phone and call Hunter [Campbell] and we can get the deal done.”

Years later, Dana White says that Francis Ngannou is all about the money and that the UFC offered him one of the biggest deals in UFC history, certainly recognizing his value.

Jake Paul did not let White forget, in a recent Tweet, he said:

“3 years ago he was telling Jon Jones to move down to 185 to avoid [Francis Ngannou] and that Jon didn’t really want to fight Francis…but now the narrative doesn’t suit Dana…”

Francis Ngannou PFL
Francis Ngannou

The lineal MMA world champion Francis Ngannou added:

“Divert attention to the real matter by manipulating the narrative. Lol”

Islam Makhachev Could Get Welterweight Title Opportunity, Says Dana White

Islam MakhachevIf Islam Makhachev wins his next fight, he’ll “absolutely” get an opportunity to add another belt to his collection….

Islam Makhachev

If Islam Makhachev wins his next fight, he’ll “absolutely” get an opportunity to add another belt to his collection.

In June, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ successfully defended his lightweight championship against three-time title challenger Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in New Jersey. Makhachev had hoped to put his gold on the line at Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi, but a hand injury forced him to sit out the rest of 2024.

Islam Makhachev

When he does return, Makhachev is expected to square off with the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

With Makhachev already expressing interest in moving up to welterweight for a shot at champ-champ status, Dana White revealed at Thursday’s Power Slap press conference that he would happily allow Makhachev to move up should he score a win over ‘Ahalkalakets’ in his next outing.

Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad not interested in fighting Islam makhachev

Right now, the welterweight title resides with Belal Muhammad after ‘Remember The Name’ delivered a mostly dominant showing against Leon Edwards in Manchester earlier this year.

Currently, Muhammad is scheduled to defend the welterweight crown against unbeaten finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov in the UFC 310 headliner on December 7.

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Unfortunately for Makhachev, even if Muhammad comes out on top, he’s not likely to give the Dagestani a title opportunity.

“I would never fight him, 100 percent, but honestly, he could go up to 185 and beat [Dricus] du Plessis right now,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting in June. “I think he’s that good, really. I think he could go up there and be that two-division champ.”

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Dana White Says He Spoke to Mark Zuckerberg About Fixing UFC’s Fighter Ranking System

Dana White says he recently spoke with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about potentially using artificial intelligence to improve UFC rankings. “We literally had…

Dana White says he recently spoke with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about potentially using artificial intelligence to improve UFC rankings. “We literally had…

AI and the Octagon: How Dana White and Mark Zuckerberg Are Revolutionizing Rankings

Dana White Mark ZuckerbergUFC President Dana White will apparently be working with Mark Zuckerberg on AI to overhaul the UFC rankings. Ahead…

Dana White Mark Zuckerberg

UFC President Dana White will apparently be working with Mark Zuckerberg on AI to overhaul the UFC rankings. Ahead of this weekend’s UFC 308, hosted in Abu Dhabi, the UFC leader explained his vision.

Dana White and Mark Zuckerberg

Dana White, long-time UFC president, has taken aim at the UFC rankings system claiming it is inaccurate and he is not happy with it. Mainly, he has been vocal about how low Jon ‘Bones’ Jones has been ranked on the pound-for-pound system. Fighters and media have agreed that rankings could use a rework, but are uncertain about White’s solution: using AI.

Dana White claims he planned to cut Francis Ngannou from UFC back in 2018: 'I was going to'

Mark Zuckerberg has developed a notable interest in MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been vocal about his passion for these sports, actively training and competing in tournaments. Additionally, he made headlines by appearing in the corner of UFC fighter Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298.

Mark Zuckerberg

In an interview with TNT Sports, Dana White explained:

“We literally had meetings this week to work on it, and I talked to Mark Zuckerberg about AI. That’s how high-level we’re talking tech. I’m totally going to fix the rankings, and we’re going to make a lot of strong moves coming into 2025.”

Mark Zuckerberg is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Facebook. After dropping out of Harvard during his sophomore year to focus on Facebook, Zuckerberg led the platform’s rapid expansion, transforming it into one of the largest social networks globally, with over two billion users. He remains a prominent figure in technology and philanthropy, notably through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which he founded with his wife, Priscilla Chan, to address social issues like education and health.