Chael Sonnen Shares Unique Take on Dana White/Francis Ngannou’s Alleged Physical Confrontation at Peak of UFC Beef | BJPenn.com

Despite being two years removed from their nasty split, UFC CEO Dana White and former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou remain at odds.

White and Ngannou’s troubles span nearly an entire decade, as the two UFC personalities had a tumultuous relationship during the latter’s promotional tenure. Things reached a breaking point in early 2023, when Ngannou split from the promotion after a lengthy contract dispute with White and the rest of the UFC brass.

In recent weeks, the feud between White and Ngannou wrote a new chapter after White accused Ngannou of getting physical with him during a heated meeting at the UFC Performance Institute during the final years of his time in the promotion. According to White, Ngannou was angry that he had not earned a $50,000 post-fight bonus after one of his fights, which led to a tense confrontation between them.

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen, who has had his own disagreements with Ngannou in recent years, agrees with White’s claims.

Chael Sonnen says Francis Ngannou is using his intimidating presence to his advantage

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani ShowSonnen provided a unique perspective on White’s allegations about a previous confrontation with Ngannou.

“I heard that story for years that Francis hooked up, not with Dana, but I knew he did with Hunter. I didn’t believe the story. I never talked about it because I never believed it… I thought they would have fired him on the spot,” Sonnen began about Ngannou.

“I told you about my altercation with Francis… I only bring that up because Francis didn’t actually do anything. I mean, he turned around and raised his voice, but that was the same thing I did. I just don’t look as scary as Francis.”

“I don’t think we can blame Francis for looking really scary. I think for the most part, Francis’ actions are probably in line with what a lot of other people would do,” Sonnen continued. “But he might get some harsher criticism because he would fall into the scary category.”

Ngannou has not fought in MMA since defeating former PFL heavyweight titleholder Renan Ferreira last year.