Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Jake Paul and Dana White find common ground in criticism of Francis Ngannou

Originally posted on HITC | By Donagh Corby | Last updated Nov 22, 2025 7:19 AM ET

It’s rare for Jake Paul and Dana White to see eye to eye on anything, but Francis Ngannou seems to have changed that.

Paul and White have spent years at odds over fighter pay and various issues in combat sports. While the feud often felt one-sided, Paul has claimed more than once that White keeps a close eye on his fights.

But they now seem to be aligned when it comes to their views on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Ngannou was offered a fight against Paul scheduled for December 19 on Netflix, but he declined. Anthony Joshua ended up stepping in for the bout on short notice.

Jake Paul calls out Francis Ngannou over missed fight opportunity

Speaking at a press conference in Miami, Jake Paul took aim at Francis Ngannou for passing up what he described as a career-changing opportunity, criticising the former UFC champion’s decision to turn down their proposed bout.

Originally scheduled to fight Gervonta Davis, Paul’s plans shifted when Davis pulled out. The offer then went to Ngannou, who chose not to take the fight – something Paul was quick to condemn.

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

“I just thought he’s just an idiot,” Paul said of Ngannou’s decision. “I mean, what are you doing if you feel so confident? If you feel so disrespected and you’re having all this bad publicity about your name the past year-and-a-half this is an opportunity to correct that and stop me.

“He’s basically also talking s— to Mike Tyson for fighting me. Francis, you’re nowhere near and never will be close to the legend of Mike Tyson and it’s disrespectful.”

Dana White blasts Francis Ngannou again on podcast appearance

On a recent episode of the Flagrant podcast with Andrew Schulz, Dana White went deeper than ever before into his issues with Francis Ngannou, linking them to a couple of alleged physical incidents.

“Francis Ngannou is a bad guy,” White said. “He plays the whole ‘I don’t understand the language’ and he tries to come off like he’s a f—ing nice guy.

White went on to say: “People go ‘oh, the language barrier, probably. There’s no f—ing language barrier with this guy, he’s a bad guy… I wanted to cut him early, when somebody shows you who they are, believe them.” He then shared stories of physical run-ins with the former champion.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: