Francis Ngannou isn’t losing sleep over Dana White’s latest accusations. Instead, the former UFC heavyweight champion delivered a calm, almost amused response after White claimed that Ngannou once put his hands on him and UFC executive Hunter Campbell.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Francis Ngannou addressed the story White told on the Flagrant podcast with Andrew Schulz. According to White, Ngannou grabbed him by the collar while demanding a post-fight bonus and a private jet. Ngannou’s reaction to hearing the clip? Zero surprise.
Helwani pressed him on the moment, but Ngannou didn’t take the bait. When asked directly if anything like that happened, he simply said Helwani should “ask Dana himself.”
In a clip shared on the show’s X page, Ngannou explained why he’s not interested in fighting over words.
“I don’t find it important. I don’t find it necessary. At some point it was, but over time it’s not anymore… Maybe I’m getting old. I really feel like I have less energy for drama, for stuff [laughs]. I just want to be in peace and people leave me alone. That’s all.”
Helwani followed up by asking if Ngannou would want a better relationship with White someday. Ngannou didn’t shy away from how disappointing the situation feels.
“We should have been [having a relationship like that]. We shouldn’t have gone this way. Why do we get all this way first of all? What’s the purpose? How come we get from where we were to where we are now? On the other hand, I would just say it’s quite disappointing the way that things went. That’s all.”
When Ariel asked him directly if he put his hands on White, Ngannou responded with a bit of dry humor.
“In his office, that’s what he said, right? Well I’m sure he has a lot of cameras there… If every time that somebody says something about you then you have to do that, then it’s going to be tough. As I said, over time, I just get tired of this stuff. I really saw that and scrolled. I scrolled, I move. I get past it.”
Ngannou hasn’t fought in the UFC in nearly four years, with his last outing being a successful title defence against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. After recovering from a knee injury, he left the promotion for the PFL, an exit that publicly worsened his already bumpy relationship with White.
Still, despite everything said back and forth, Ngannou seems focused on peace rather than pettiness.
“We shouldn’t have gone this way… I would just say, quite disappointing the way things went.”
