How Dana White and Francis Ngannou's relationship deteriorated from 'hardest hitter' to 'gimmick fighter' ahead of Anthony Joshua clash

07/03/2024 10:00

Dana White was once complimentary about Francis Ngannou, but their relationship completely collapsed after his UFC exit.

Ngannou reigned as UFC heavyweight champion before deciding to make the switch to boxing when he failed to agree a new contract.

He went on to make his squared circle debut against Tyson Fury, while also signing a contract to fight on White’s rival MMA promotion PFL.

White and Ngannou once held a positive relationship during his time in the UFC, with the heavy-hitting fighter holding an impressive 83 per cent KO ratio from his ten wins and the heavyweight title.

And this had left White salivating at his punching power, making a hugely positive speech about Ngannou before the UFC 220 press conference in 2017.

“Francis is a guy who has the world record for the most powerful punch,” he said previously. "His punches are equivalent to 96 horse power.

“That's equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can. And it's more powerful than a 12-pound sledgehammer from full force overhead. Holy s***."

But their relationship was never the same, after White suggested Ngannou’s ego was to blame after his loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 220.

The Cameroon star then bounced back from a second consecutive defeat to Derrick Lewis, but was left frustrated after failing to secure a title shot following four consecutive KO wins.

Ngannou then began to campaign for better fighter pay and working conditions in the UFC, which angered White prior to the former’s win over Ciryl Gane in 2022.

And with his contract expiring, negotiations were held over a new deal, but White was unable to convince Ngannou to stay in the UFC and he began his pursuit of a boxing career.

After announcing his plans to face Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Dana White quickly changed his opinion of his former prized asset.

 “It doesn’t make sense to me. Anthony Joshua called it a gimmick fight this week,” he said after his departure. “When asked about that fight, he’s like, ‘I’m focused on fighting the best guys in the world. I’m not interested in a gimmick fight right now.’

“And that’s one of the big problems with boxing right now, is it’s all about these gimmicky type fights, and that’s just not what I do here. It’s not what I do.”

But Ngannou quickly proved White wrong landing the fight against Fury, and making a huge impression on his boxing debut.

He even created his own fight promotion named ‘GIMIK’ mocking the term coined by White.

Ngannou was able to knock down Fury in their contest, which earned him a spot in the WBC rankings as he continued his quest for big fights.

Incredibly, Ngannou has landed another huge payday against Joshua, despite White’s criticism of his approach which he felt would never pay off.

The pair will meet on Friday night, with the winner potentially set to land a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed titles.

Ngannou may not be on the best of terms with White, but his start to life after the UFC couldn’t have gone any better.