Dana White recounts the time Francis Ngannou tried | MMA News
UFC CEO Dana White and former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou have had tumultuous relationship over the years, but the extent of it we did not know.
Ngannou arrived in the UFC in late 2015 with an intimidating physique, a movie-worthy backstory, and a cargo ship full of punching energy. He completed his first six octagon opponents and was the scariest fighter on the UFC roster. After operating through his first six opponents, “The Predator” fought then-champion Stipe Miocic in the UFC 220 main event in January 2018.
He would not win the heavyweight title in his first attempt, but was one of the organizations most recognizable figures. According to White, Ngannou’s soft-spoken public persona did not match the Ngannou behind the scenes. According to White, Ngannou once tried to bodily bully him.
“Francis Ngannou is a bad guy,” White said on the Flagrant podcast. “He’s not a good guy. He plays the whole, I don’t understand the language, and he tries to come off like he’s a f**king nice guy… There’s no f**king language barrier with this guy. He’s a bad guy. And I told my guys, I wanted to cut him early, and two of my matchmaker guys were like, ‘Oh, no. You don’t understand.’ I was like guys, let me tell you a story. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them. Believe them.
“So, he is going in to struggle Stipe Miocic in Boston, and he is aware of he is going to f**king kill Stipe. Right? So, after the press convention we’re strolling down this hallway and he comes over to me. He grabs me and he says, ‘Let me let you know what’s going to occur.’ His English is f**king great,” explained White.
“No language barrier by any means. ‘When this struggle’s over, you are going to e-book me a personal aircraft to Paris.’ I laughed and said, oh yeah? He said, ‘I’m not joking. You’re going to e-book me a personal aircraft to Paris.’ I said, okay. So, we go our separate methods. Stipe Miocic beats the f**king sh*t out of him. Beats the sh*t out of him, so that ended that entire dialog. I ought to have f**king cut him that day.”
Related: Chael Sonnen and Francis Ngannou practically fought in a parking storage
Ngannou’s aggressive ways weren’t an remoted incident. He’d go additional at the UFC Performance Institute and in White’s workplace.
“So when you’re an athlete that’s signed by the UFC, you get full access to the Performance Institute, you can eat there for free, everything’s free and do all this stuff. This guy was f*cking living there,” White said. “He had just fought and he comes up to my office, he’s in the hallway, or whatever, hanging out and I said ‘come on in, what’s going on?’
“He was pissed off he didn’t get a $50,000 in his last fight, that he didn’t get the bonus of the night. I said Francis you didn’t get it because this and that. And he’s in my office and he’s arguing with me. I’m like this guy got this, this guy got that and this is why. The conversation’s over, and I’m starting to leave, and he grabs me by my shirt and pushes me back in my office and I said ‘dude, get your f*cking hands off me.’ I could see in this guy’s face and in his eyes and the way he’s acting who this guy really f*cking is.”
Ngannou and the UFC parted methods in early 2023 after failing to come to phrases on a new contract. The struggle promotion waived its one-year matching rights clause, making Ngannou an unrestricted free agent. He inked a deal with the Professional Fighters League a couple of months later that allowed him to settle for skilled boxing matches.
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