Dana White has continued his feud with Francis Ngannou – and escalated things to a more personal level.
The UFC kingpin’s relationship with Ngannou deteriorated after the heavyweight failed to sign a new deal with the MMA promotion, and he moved to boxing where he fought Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
White ripped into Ngannou in a staggering new tiradeGetty
Ngannou recently then made his debut with rival promotion PFL, and later accused the UFC of owing him money, as well as suggesting that White was a ‘bully’.
It was an accusation that has certainly not gone down well with White, who made his feelings known in a fiery interview after UFC 308.
He was asked about the claim, to which he angrily responded: “Never happened so he’s full of s**t there.
“I lost? I didn’t lose anything, I was done with Francis – he actually owes me money because we had to watch that fight between him and the Black Beast [Derrick Lewis].
“Me praying for [his downfall]? Trust me, I don’t think about Francis that much. You guys asked me the question about the PFL and I responded.
“Other than that, the only one who’s praying for his demise is probably the PFL because they signed a s****y contract with a guy who doesn’t deliver any numbers.
“That’s ticket sales or pay-per-views, and they’ve got to keep paying this guy for however long and good for him. Not good for them.”
White was then asked about his personal feelings toward Ngannou, to which he incredibly continued: “I was all about Francis in the beginning and then I found out who Francis was.
“And I told the two guys who asked me not to cut Francis; ‘when somebody shows you who they are, believe them’. Believe me, I have no sleepless nights over Francis leaving.
“I didn’t like Francis as a person, he wasn’t a guy I wanted to do business with. My boys were telling me he’s misunderstood, and I told them ‘when somebody shows you who they are, believe them’.
Ngannou had taken several digs at White as their feud continuedGetty
The pair were on great terms but the relationship soured2022 Chris Unger
“It wasn’t about him becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Francis isn’t a good guy, he plays a good guy.
“‘Oh I don’t understand the language,’ so he seems like he’s a nice guy, he’s not and he’s not a guy that I wanted to be in business with, period, end of story, whether he became the champion or not.”
Ngannou has regularly suggested he has achieved much more since leaving the UFC in 2022, where he reigned as the heavyweight champion.
The Cameroon star disagreed with White on a number of topics including fighter pay and healthcare, which saw him depart the promotion after being left unsatisfied with the newly offered deal.
He went on to make his debut against Fury in the squared circle last October, before a brutal stoppage defeat to Anthony Joshua in March.
And his win over Renan Ferreira in the PFL saw him pocket another lucrative purse, taking his total earnings from the three appearances to what he has suggested was higher than available in the UFC.
Ngannou has suggested White is angered by that and has suggested White is still unhappy over their split.
He initially said: “I think Dana’s trying to make things up to buy good faith in the position he has lost.
“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.
“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.”
