Francis Ngannou reacts to Dana White’s claim after bitter UFC exit

Francis Ngannou has responded to Dana White’s claim that the former UFC champion physically intimidated him, saying he feels “very annoyed to have to be responsible for what people say”.

Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023, vacating the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion’s heavyweight title in the process. But that was not the end of the Cameroonian’s complicated relationship with White, the president of the UFC.

In November, White accused Ngannou of having initiated a physical altercation between them during the latter’s time with the UFC. White, 56, said on the Flagrant podcast: “Francis Ngannou is a bad guy. He’s not a good guy. He plays the whole, ‘I don’t understand the language,’ and he tries to come off like he’s a f***ing nice guy... There’s no f***ing language barrier with this guy.

“He’s going in to fight Stipe Miocic in Boston [in 2018], and he ‘knows’ he’s going to f***ing kill Stipe, right? So, after the press conference, we’re walking down this hallway and he comes over to me. He grabs me and he says: ‘Let me tell you what’s going to happen [...] When this fight’s over, you’re going to book me a private plane to Paris.’ I laughed and said: ‘Oh, yeah?’ He said: ‘I’m not joking.

“Miocic beats the f***ing s*** out of him, beats the s*** out of him, so that ended that whole conversation. I should have f***ing cut him [from his contract] that day.”

The American proceeded to allege that another incident saw Ngannou “in my office” and “arguing with me”, saying: “The conversation’s over, and I’m starting to leave, and he grabs me by my shirt and pushes me back in my office. I said: ‘Dude, get your f***ing hands off me.’ I could see, in this guy’s face and in his eyes and the way he’s acting, who this guy really f***ing is.”

Now, Ngannou has responded to this claim in an interview with Ariel Helwani, telling the journalist: “I kind of, at some point, feel very annoyed to have to be responsible for what people say. Basically, like... If Dana says this, then I’m out here going to basically defend myself of what Dana said – or whoever.

“I think whatever he said, if he’s at peace with [it], it’s OK. I don’t find it necessary [to address]. At some point, it was [necessary to address], but over time, it’s not anymore. Maybe I’m getting old. I feel like I have less energy for drama stuff, I just want to be in peace and people to leave me alone. That’s all.

“We shouldn’t have gone this way. Why did we get all this way, first of all? What’s the purpose? How did we get from where we were to where we are right now? I would just say it’s quite disappointing the way that things went. That’s all.

“He must be the only person I ever ‘put my hand on’. In his office, that’s what he said, right? I’m sure he has a lot of cameras there.

“I’m not inviting him to do anything [like release footage], I’m not in court [...] I just get tired of this stuff. I really saw that [when White first said it] and scrolled. I get past it, I’m long gone from that.”

Ngannou signed with the PFL after leaving the UFC, with a clause in his contract allowing him to venture into boxing.

In 2023, he boxed then-heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, dropping the Briton en route to a controversial points loss; in 2024, he suffered a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in another boxing match. Ngannou returned to MMA with the PFL later that year, beating Renan Ferreira in the first round.

Ngannou has not competed since that contest in October 2024, and he said in his interview with Helwani that his PFL contract is coming to an end. On that note, he expressed an openness to fighting at the UFC’s planned White House event in June.