Francis Ngannou has responded to Dana White’s comments regarding his departure from the UFC after 2023. Ngannou, who vacated his heavyweight title to explore free agency, went on to secure highly lucrative matchups against boxing icons Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
In his return to MMA, the former UFC heavyweight champion achieved a decisive finish over Renan Ferreira at PFL: Battle of the Giants. Earlier this week, White suggested that financial incentives drove Ngannou’s recent career choices. White shared that he even considered releasing Ngannou after he suffered back-to-back losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis in 2018.
In a recent interview, Ngannou addressed White’s remarks, expressing confusion over why White continues to criticize him. “Regardless of everything that happened, I’m not about him,” Ngannou said in an interview with Sirius XM Fight Nation. “I went out there, did a fight, had a good fight for my son’s memory, but the guy can’t stand— I don’t know what his problem is. He can make everything up as he wants. That’s his problem. I think he needs to make peace with himself.”
Ngannou elaborated on his perspective, adding, “(He) could’ve just said, ‘We didn’t find an agreement. We couldn’t come to a deal, but good luck to him.’ That’s it, you know? Good for him, and we continue our lives. What’s the problem here? I think the problem is he can’t handle this loss.”
White’s Intentions
Ngannou believes White struggles to accept how things played out and even questions whether White wishes to see him fail in the new chapter of his career. For his part, Ngannou is committed to focusing on his own path forward.
“Dana has lost in this situation, and the only thing is that he cannot stand it,” Ngannou stated. “Bro, I won everything. Now I have made more money than I would have ever made in the UFC. I’d say maybe twice what I could have made in my entire UFC career if I had continued there. I’m not just saying from the moment that I stopped. Either way, even if I’ve made less, if I’m not making as much as I could’ve in the UFC, that would be my problem. Why is he so pissed about me not making that much money? C’mon, man, live your life.”