Dana White Gives His Honest Opinion on Francis Ngannou

Dana White Tells His Side of the Story

On the "Flagrant" podcast with Andrew Schulz, Dana White alleged that two specific physical incidents with Ngannou behind the scenes showed the fighter's true character. He claimed that these encounters proved Ngannou was not as innocent and morally upright as the fighter portrays himself to be.

Watch the episode here:

White described a confrontation in his office after a fight in which Ngannou was angry about not receiving a $50,000 post-fight bonus.

"He grabs me by my shirt and pushes me back in my office," White alleged, stating that he responded, "Dude, get your f—ing hands off me. I could see in this guy’s face and in his eyes and the way he’s acting who this guy really f—ing is."

White also claimed that a similar event involved UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell.

He stated that as Campbell was walking away from a discussion, "Francis grabbed him by the f—ing back of his collar and f—ing pulled him back and said, 'We're not done talking yet.'"

White also recounted a story from before Ngannou's first title shot against Stipe Miocic at UFC 220 in 2018. He claimed that after a press conference, Ngannou approached him with a firm demand, showcasing a level of entitlement that White found surprising.

According to White, Ngannou told him, "Let me tell you what's going to happen... when this fight's over, you're going to book me a private plane to Paris". When White laughed it off, Ngannou insisted, "I'm not joking, you're going to book me a private plane to Paris."

After Miocic ended up winning their first fight, White recalled, "I should have f—ing cut him that day."

White’s True Feelings About Ngannou

White continued to confess to the “Flagrant” podcast hosts how he really feels about his promotion’s former heavyweight champion.

“Francis Ngannou is a bad guy. He’s not a good guy,” White claimed. “He plays the whole ‘I don’t understand the language’ and tries to come off that he’s a f—ing nice guy. People go, ‘Oh, it’s the language barrier probably.’ There’s no f—ing language barrier with this guy. He’s a bad guy.”

Given this continued bad blood, it is unlikely fans will see Ngannou back in the UFC Octagon ever again.

“Now he’s over and he’s done a deal with PFL and Saudi Arabia and now he’s asking to fight, ‘me and Jon Jones need to fight.’ I’m sure they wish they never f*cking signed him. I don’t have to hear one word from any of those guys over there to know because I know. I’ve dealt with him and I know who he really is.”

Ngannou has yet to respond to these allegations, though if they are true, it makes his callout to Jon Jones for a UFC White House fight all the more bold. 
Despite Ngannou’s call to be on the White House card, his focus has shifted almost entirely to boxing, with a fight against Deontay Wilder being his primary target. He last fought under MMA rules in Oct. 2024 against Renan Ferreira for the PFL Heavyweight Super Fights Championship. His inactivity in MMA, paired with the allure of lucrative boxing matches, leaves his future in MMA uncertain.