UFC CEO Dana White and heavyweight fighter Ngannou haven’t always had a good relationship. White revealed he was close to cutting the fighter out, but Ngannou ended up living of his own volition.
UFC former heavyweight champion Ngannou left UFC to join the PFL and try his hand at boxing, but the fighter suffered multiple losses during his run. He soon conceded and made a comeback to MMA, knocking out Renan Fereira and claiming the PFL heavyweight title at PFL: Battle for the Giants. The fighter’s latest win not only excited fans but also re-ignited the tension between him and his former boss.
Ngannou fought under the UFC banner for several years, but he left the promotion due to unfavorable circumstances. For the longest period, many have been uncertain about what caused the fallout, but during a Power Slap press conference on Thursday, White had a lot to say about the fighter. He said Ngannou could have made more money at the UFC, and he had plans of cutting him off after his loss to Derrick Lewis.
“Francis is all about the money,” White said. “Francis left because he knew that if he fought Jon Jones and didn’t win, it would hurt his chances of making the money that he wanted to make. But realistically, his deal was bigger here. His deal was bigger here if he stayed in the UFC. … They can deny it all they want. Why the f*ck would I lie? Why do I care? It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.
“I was going to cut Francis when he lost two in a row. I was going to cut him. Somebody around here begged me not to do it. So it wouldn’t have mattered to me, one way or the other. There’s a much deeper story to this whole thing. He would have made more money if he stayed in the UFC.”
Ngannou had back-to-back wins for a while before losing to Stipe Miocic and then losing a decision to Derrick Lewis. The match was considered one of the worst in UFC history but Ngannou was able to rebound and won their rematch.
Soon afterwards he won a title fight against Ciryl Gane and was scheduled to battle Jon Jones but he left the promotion.
“He didn’t want to fight Jon Jones, that’s a fact, and we’re moving on,” White said. “Obviously, everybody loves Tom Aspinall and wants to see Jones and Aspinall, or Stipe and Aspinall. I feel like when Stipe and Jon were young — Jon was 23, youngest champion in UFC history — somebody gave him an opportunity. I think that Stipe and Jon, whoever wins, should give Aspinall the same opportunity they had.”
Although fans would have loved to see Ngannou in the cage battling Jones, the fighter had other priorities. Ngannou claims he has earned more in PFL than UFC but White believes it’s all hearsay.
“I know all the sh*t that you people don’t know. I don’t care what everybody says,” White said after a Contender Series event (via MMAJunkie). “It doesn’t matter to me. But that’s a fact. He was offered more money because I know the real numbers.”
