In the Flagrant podcast, Dana White recounted an incident where Ngannou got into a physical altercation with him over the lack of a $50,000 bonus after a tournament:
“If you are a UFC fighter, you have full access to the Performance Institute, where you can train and eat for free. This guy (Francis Ngannou) practically lived there. He had just fought and was already waiting for me outside my office. I went out to him and asked what was wrong. He was angry because he didn’t receive the bonus. I explained to him why he didn’t get that money, and our conversation escalated in tension. In the end, he grabbed me by my shirt and pushed me back into the office. I responded, ‘Keep your hands off me.’ I saw in his eyes and behavior who he really was.”
Additionally, according to White, there was an incident during the same period between Ngannou and Hunter Campbell, the UFC's Chief Commercial Officer.
“Francis was discussing something with Hunter, possibly the same bonus. When Hunter started to leave, Ngannou grabbed him by the collar and said they weren’t done yet. He was really dangerous.”
— Dana White
White also noted that several years ago, when Ngannou first fought for the UFC championship title against Stipe Miocic in 2018, he already had doubts about Ngannou.
He claims that Ngannou had planned his victory celebration in advance:
“When Francis was fighting Stipe in Boston, he was confident of his victory. After the press conference, he came up to me and said, ‘When the fight is over, book me a private jet to Paris.’ I just laughed and replied, ‘Of course.’ But deep down, I thought Miocic would beat him.”
— Dana White
White admitted that at one point he wanted to terminate Ngannou's contract, but his team dissuaded him from that decision.
“I told my staff that I wanted to get rid of Ngannou. But they said I wasn’t seeing the whole picture. I insisted that if a person shows their true colors, they should be believed. Francis is a bad guy; he tries to portray himself as a good person, using the language barrier as an excuse.”
— Dana White
Recently, Ngannou expressed a desire to meet John Jones at a UFC event in the White House. However, after White's comments, it becomes clear that his return to the organization is in question. Nevertheless, a fight between Jones and Ngannou is a significant event in the MMA world that could bring huge financial benefits. The question remains whether White will change his principles for such a hyped matchup or stick to his stance that Ngannou will not return to the UFC.
