The ongoing feud between heavyweight Francis Ngannou and UFC president Dana White continues to escalate, with no signs of reconciliation in sight. Recently, the UFC president’s remarks further fueled the animosity, leading Ngannou to respond vehemently on social media.
White discussed Ngannou’s PFL deal with the media at the UFC Vegas 73 news conference. He called the former UFC heavyweight champion’s aspirations for boxing “delusional”:
“PFL is paying Ngannou to train for a boxing match that may not even materialize, and they might not even be involved. How does that make any sense? Anthony Joshua called it a gimmick fight this week.”
Francis Ngannou was once promoted as one of the UFC’s three African kings during his reign as the heavyweight champion. The souring of their relationship began when Ngannou made the mistake of telling White they would be negotiating a deal for each bout. From this point on, White soured on Ngannou which led to Ngannou finishing out his contract.
Francis Ngannou took to social media to call out Dana White and question the UFC president’s grievances against him.
The former heavyweight champion is thrilled with his new contract and looks forward to advancing his career. Yet, he remains perplexed as to why his former boss cannot share in his joy and success.
Ngannou made a series of tweets:
Reports circulated that Francis Ngannou turned down an $8 million offer. The truth is much glibber. In reality, Ngannou’s income would’ve dwindled the second he lost the title, as per Ngannou’s coach.
Many UFC fans questioned Ngannou’s decision but Ngannou’s new contract with the PFL validates his choice.
Conor McGregor raised the question of who Ngannou’s opponent will be in PFL. There are no immediate front runners though Fabricio Werdum called out Ngannou and got back into shape. Considering the star power – it’s about to get a whole lot more interesting out there for MMA heavyweights.