
Francis Ngannou and the UFC split in January 2023 after a long stretch of issues between him and the organisation.
Since then, Ngannou hasn’t held back in criticising some of Dana White’s comments about him. The UFC president has said he considered cutting Ngannou, arguing that his reputation doesn’t match what it’s like to deal with him behind the scenes.
White recounted an incident where Ngannou grabbed him during a meeting over a missing post-fight bonus. A former UFC employee has since come forward to say he fully believes White’s version of events.
Dana White hasn’t hidden his feelings about Francis Ngannou since their split, and there’s been little indication that those opinions have changed.
White has even gone as far as to say he expects similar issues to arise for the PFL, where Ngannou signed in May 2023.
The Flagrant podcast episode brought more attention to the situation, especially after White described separate incidents involving himself and Hunter Campbell with Ngannou.
Anthony Evans, who previously held roles including UFC PR head and content chief for UFC Fight Pass, then weighed in. Evans also co-wrote Michael Bisping’s book ‘Quitters Never Win’.
Evans initially posted this message online before providing more context later: “I hadn’t heard this story before; I believe it 100%. Francis was a terror at the UFC office when I worked there. He’d show up over and over, walk around the offices, standing over people’s desks and making staff very uncomfortable. Now some of it was he is a huge man from a different culture speaking English as a (third?) language. And there is such a thing as being pro-active. And there’s also bullying. He struck me as a bully.”
Asked for examples of what he witnessed during his time at the promotion, Evans added:
“It’s 8yrs or so, so some of the specifics are hazy but one I witnessed myself was him standing over one of the women who designed UFC key art and wanting changes,” said Evans.
Even though Francis Ngannou has only fought once for the PFL since joining in May 2023, he still brings significant attention to the promotion.
Back in August, PFL chairman Donn Davis voiced his disappointment when Ngannou didn’t show up to an event in Africa. The former UFC heavyweight champion later explained that he wasn’t pleased with how the event had been organised, hinting at some tension between him and the PFL.
But by September, things seemed to have calmed down. Ngannou shared a video promoting another PFL event scheduled for October 18, signalling that any issues had likely been resolved.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!