There has been a litany of outrageous comments made by this man and we could be here until this time next week to sort them all out. If we were to take on this initiative, we would barely scratch the surface.
Just as there have been some crazy comments that Dana White has made publicly, he has also had some issues with UFC fighters, both current and former. One of White’s former clientele may have moved on to the greener pastures of the Professional Fighters League, but that doesn’t mean this man’s verbal attack on his ex-boss has slowed by any stretch of the imagination.
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Dana White Recalls Volatile Exchange Between Him and ‘The Predator’
Francis Ngannou enters. The one nicknamed “The Predator” was a member of the UFC’s active roster between 2015 and 2022, posting a 12-2 record in his seven years. Although he was a proven winner in the heavyweight ranks, he got into some intense arguments with Dana White during his time in the promotion.
White appeared as a guest of the Blatant podcast on the November 18 episode. During the podcast, the UFC CEO recalled a specific incident involving him and Francis Ngannou.
“If you are a UFC signed athlete, you get full access to the Performance Institute and can eat there for free,” Dana White began. Everything is free and (you can) do all these (things). This guy lived (power removed) (at the UFC PI.) He had just gotten a fight and he came to my office. He was (censored) because he didn’t get a $50,000 bonus.
Exchange between Dana White and Francis Ngannou quickly turns physical
Also during the podcast, the UFC CEO said his feud with Francis Ngannou ended with the two men nearly colliding.
‘Francis, this is why you didn’t understand [and] that,’” Dana White recalls, “and he’s in my office arguing with me. The conversation is over, I want to leave and he grabs me by my shirt and pushes me back to my office. I said, ‘Dude, keep your hands off me.’ I could see it in this man’s face, in his eyes and in the way he carries himself, who this man really is.
Not only was Dana White the target of this altercation, Hunter Campbell, the Chief Business Officer of the UFC, was also subjected to a physical push from Francis Ngannou.
The altercation between Dana White and Francis Ngannou could have been avoidable
In addition to mentioning the Tet-a-Tet between them, Dana White said he was willing to provide walking papers to Francis Ngannou. Members of White’s staff, however, overruled him.
“I told my boys I wanted to cut [Ngannou] asked,” he said. “Two of my matchmakers say, ‘No, you don’t understand.’ I said, ‘Guys, let me tell you a story: when someone shows you who they are, believe them. Believe them’”.
Dana White and Francis Ngannou ultimately parted ways in the aftermath of a 2022 fight against Ciryl Gane to unify the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the main event of UFC 270 in Anaheim, CA at Honda Center.
Dana White should have cut Francis Ngannou when he had the chance
One question remains in the wake of this podcast interview, and it’s simple: Why on earth did Dana White keep Francis Ngannou on the UFC’s active roster for as long as he did? The fact that Ngannou stayed with the UFC even after being involved in a physical altercation with both White and Campbell is mind-boggling.
While Francis Ngannou was a proven star inside the legendary Octagon during his UFC stint, what he did to Dana White and Hunter Campbell should have been grounds for dismissal and a hard stop.
If Francis Ngannou had had a typical 9-to-5 job and taken it over, he would have been fired on the spot, not to mention placed on the hiring list of competing companies. Dana White should have terminated Francis Ngannou’s contract long before the altercation occurred.
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