By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
After leaving the UFC less than a year ago, Francis Ngannou is not on particularly good terms with Dana White. At the end of his great performance against Tyson Fury, he also made scathing comments about his former leader.
Nobody seemed to believe in his chances of competing with the best boxers in the world, least of all his former employer. However, Francis Ngannou proved his worth by bravely standing up to Tyson Fury in the ring. An unlikely scenario that quickly encouraged fans to bring up his stormy departure from the UFC and ridicule the decision of one Dana White:
Crazy how we went from “Francis Ngannou fumbled the bag” to “Dana White fumbled the bag.” pic.twitter.com/C54T8QSFnO
— Vincent Aasa 🇸🇪 (@aasavincent) October 30, 2023
It’s crazy to see how we went from “Francis Ngannou is the big loser in this whole story” to “Dana White is the big loser in this whole story.”
Nine months later, Francis Ngannou is still provoking Dana White
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou left the squad in January 2023. The reason for this is the refusal of the federation leaders to grant him several favors and freedoms, including some related to his recent English boxing match. So it’s no wonder that the Predator had to bring up the Dana White case after his demonstration against Fury. On MMA Hour, he teased his former boss:
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Francis Ngannou on Dana White’s Feeling About His Fight: “Who Cares?”
“I can’t be anyone’s puppet. I’m too big for that. I’m too proud for that.” #TheMMAHour
▶️ https://t.co/29tcNQ84pn pic.twitter.com/8rk4ZhnbrG
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 30, 2023
We have to send him an invitation to ask him what he thinks (of Saturday’s fight). I want him to say what he thinks about it too.
Francis enjoyed the silence and took the opportunity to talk about White’s influence on UFC fighters, which he was able to break free from:
You have to understand that Dana has power over many fighters. Many of them are just there to please the boss and have no identity of their own. They just want to fit in and you can’t blame them. It takes a lot to rebel and say what you think. Some are unable to do this. Some are puppets. I can’t be one. I’m too big and proud for that.
After his confrontation with Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou showed no fear as he attacked Dana White again. It remains to be seen whether he will deign to respond and discuss this fight in the coming days.