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Dana White Rages Over Francis Ngannou's Departure: 'Total Bulls***'

UFC CEO Dana White was not amused when he was asked about Francis Ngannou's exit from the promotion last winter.

Zain Bando

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

UFC CEO Dana White is a man of many opinions. He always finds a way to speak his mind, whether it be grudges, plans not coming to fruition, or disappointment.

Tuesday night was no different, especially when it came to him having to chronicle why his former heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, did not remain part of the promotion.

Long-time combat sports writer Kevin Iole asked White about his plans to enter boxing as a promoter along with his MMA and 'Power Slap' ventures. Although White said the timing to join the sport is deemed correct in his mind, he was quick to respond to those who believe the reported payouts for Ngannou's fights against Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, both of which took place within the last year.

"That's not necessarily true," White told Iole in an interview posted Tuesday. "That's the bulls*** publicly that people believe. But that's not the truth. Total bulls***. Total bulls***. That's that whole myth [about combat sports pay] that makes everybody go, 'Oh, f***, go to boxing and all this f****** bulls***. [The] boxing [model] don't work, Kevin. Boxing doesn't work."

White expanded upon his answer further when Iole pushed back to clarify why the boxing pay structure isn't sustainable.

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"You need a Saudi f********* trillionaire to make f***** fights," White said, referencing His Excellency, Turki Al-Sheikh. "And even Saudi trillionaires get tired of the f***** bull****."

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White was asked to follow up on his comments about Ngannou, calling out the MMA media for not knowing key information only he and those inside the company knew about Ngannou's contract holdout.

"Cause why, what's [the point]?" White said. "What's the difference? Because I know all of the s*** you [media] people don't know. And I don't care what everybody says. It doesn't matter to me. And that's a fact. He was offered more money [to stay with the UFC] because I know the real numbers. I know the real numbers. And let me tell you what, I don't want to call him [Hunter Campbell] out, but let me tell you what, he would have done anything to make that f******* fight [between Jon Jones and Ngannou]. And he tried to."

In May last year, Ngannou signed a lucrative deal with the PFL four months after his UFC exit. After two-plus years away from MMA, he will finally return on Oct. 19, headlining against Renan Ferreira in Saudi Arabia for the PFL Super Fight Championship.

Meanwhile, the UFC heavyweight division moved on, as did finding a new champion. November 16 will see former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones finally defend his heavyweight title against ex-champion, Stipe Miocic, at UFC 309.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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