The 9 Words Dana White Said That Tell You Everything About His Feud With Francis Ngannou

Dana White flat out admitted it: he wanted Francis Ngannou to lose at UFC 270 against Ciryl Gane. Seriously, the UFC CEO went on record stating his desire to see his heavyweight champion get beat. This isn’t just some off-hand comment either, it’s the latest bombshell in a bitter, years-long saga that’s still unfolding almost four years after Ngannou walked away from the promotion.

Dana White’s Shocking Admission

White’s animosity towards Ngannou is no secret, but this level of candor still hits different. During an interview with BigBoyTV, he slammed Ngannou, saying, “Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list. Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he’s been with since. He’s a bad guy, man. He’s a bad guy. I’m just at a point in my life where I don’t want to do business with bad guys. I just don’t.” When pressed about wanting Ngannou to lose to Gane at UFC 270, White didn’t hesitate for a second. His exact words? “You’re damn right I wanted Ngannou to lose.”

Ngannou Fires Back Hard

Those comments didn’t hang in the air for long before Francis Ngannou dropped his own truth bomb on X. The former champ told White to “accept the loss” from their failed business relationship. He wrote, “Saying the guy that I spent over three years and a lot of money in law firms building an escape plan to get away from, meanwhile he was doing everything in his power to ensure I was never free. You have to take that loss; it is irreversible.” This is a guy who fought out his contract, wanting to pursue boxing and other demands that the UFC wouldn’t meet. Ngannou left the promotion in January 2023 as the reigning heavyweight champion, never losing the belt inside the Octagon. He defended that title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022, which turned out to be his final UFC fight.

A Feud That’s Still Burning

The bad blood between White and Ngannou goes way back, even before that UFC 270 fight. Their turbulent relationship started around Ngannou’s first heavyweight title challenge at UFC 220 against Stipe Miocic in early 2018. Tensions only escalated as Ngannou’s contract neared its end, finally boiling over with his departure. After leaving the UFC, Ngannou signed with the PFL, not just to compete but also to serve as chairman of PFL Africa. He’s only competed once under the PFL banner so far, securing a victory over Renan Ferrei in 2024. This ongoing public feud shows there’s no love lost between these two, and honestly, don’t expect it to cool down any time soon.

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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.