Dana White admits rooting against UFC champion he despised
UFC CEO Dana White publicly admitted to rooting against former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou during his final fight with the promotion. The two have been embroiled in a long-standing feud regarding contract negotiations and business practices.
Why it matters
This highlights the volatile nature of athlete-promoter relationships in professional combat sports and the personal animosity that can influence high-stakes business decisions.
The feud between Dana White and Francis Ngannou may go on forever.
On Friday while doing the media rounds, White made several comments about his former UFC heavyweight champion on BigBoyTV .
"Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list," White said. "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 asked when the last time he rooted against a fighter he was promoting, White said it was UFC 270 in January 2022 during Ngannou's final fight with the promotion.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in