ABU DHABI – The outdated adage about three sides to each divorce – either side, plus the reality – little question is available in to play in MMA on the common.
That possible is the case within the ongoing confrontation between former UFC heavyweight champion and present PFL heavyweight superfights champ Francis Ngannou and his ex-promoter, UFC CEO Dana White, who Saturday introduced his newest salvo when he informed MMA Junkie he has a private dislike for Ngannou that goes again years, previous to when he turned the UFC heavyweight champion.
However recency bias and revisionist historical past additionally appear to come back into play in MMA on the common, and although he touted Ngannou because the proverbial “baddest man on the planet” whereas he was his heavyweight titleholder – and even famously stated Jon Jones ought to rethink shifting to heavyweight, the place Ngannou could be ready, and will drop to middleweight, as a substitute – White now says Ngannou ran from Jones, after which White received what he needed, which was Ngannou out of the corporate.
“(Ngannou) didn’t need that struggle (with Jones),” White informed MMA Junkie after UFC 308 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. “He might have stayed and took that struggle. He didn’t need that struggle. Tom Aspinall deserves that struggle.”
Former gentle heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), who received the vacant belt in opposition to Ciryl Gane after Ngannou left the UFC for the PFL, is ready to struggle former champ Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in three weeks within the UFC 309 important occasion at Madison Sq. Backyard. Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at the moment holds the interim heavyweight title and presumably will struggle the Jones-Miocic winner.
Ngannou (17-3) maintains he left in a contract dispute, and this previous week stated he suspects White has been hoping for him to fail outdoors the UFC. Since he left, Ngannou misplaced two boxing matches to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, then made his PFL debut with a fast first-round end of 2023 champ Renan Ferreira within the PFL: Battle of the Giants pay-per-view headliner eight days in the past in Saudi Arabia.
As an alternative, White pointed to Ngannou’s struggle in opposition to Derrick Lewis at UFC 226, one struggle after he misplaced a title shot to Miocic in January 2018. That bout, which Lewis received by determination, has been extensively panned as one of many worst heavyweight fights within the promotion’s historical past – a minimum of relative to the expectations on paper going into it.
“When have you ever ever heard a narrative in all of the years (about us owing a fighter cash)? We’ve been a enterprise, even when it was the other way up, the place we owed anyone cash – by no means occurred. So he’s filled with sh*t there. Then (he says) I misplaced? I didn’t lose something. I used to be executed with Francis after the – he truly owes me cash, as a result of we needed to watch that struggle with him and the ‘Black Beast.’ He ought to truly pay me again for that struggle, and all of you. And me praying for (him to fail) – belief me: I don’t take into consideration Francis that a lot.
“You guys requested me the query concerning the PFL (final week), and I responded. Apart from that, the one one who’s praying for his demise might be the PFL, as a result of they signed a sh*tty contract with a man that doesn’t ship any numbers and ticket gross sales or pay-per-views, and so they’ve received to maintain paying this man for nevertheless lengthy. Good for him – not good for them.”
In latest months, White has maintained a stance that Jones is the most effective pound-for-pound fighter on the earth, regardless of the actual fact he has fought simply twice prior to now 5 years. However he stated regardless of that, his private ideas on Ngannou return rather a lot farther than his contract dispute.
White implied that in his opinion, the standard of Ngannou’s character was not according to the form of fighter he needs to have a part of the promotion, however didn’t explicitly element the reason why.
“Let me inform you what: There have been two guys right here. I needed to chop him. Some day, I’ll inform you the story,” White stated. “I used to be all about Francis at first, after which I discovered who Francis was. I informed the 2 guys who requested me to not reduce Francis, ‘When anyone exhibits you who they’re, imagine them.’ Consider me: I’ve no sleepless nights over Francis leaving.
“I didn’t like Francis as an individual – wasn’t a man I needed to do enterprise with. I didn’t like Francis. My boys have been telling me he’s misunderstood, and I informed them when anyone exhibits you who they’re, imagine them. It wasn’t about him changing into the heavyweight champion of the world. Francis isn’t a superb man. He performs the nice man – ‘I don’t perceive the (English) language’ – so he looks like he’s a pleasant man. He’s not. He’s simply not a man that I needed to be in enterprise with, interval, finish of story, whether or not he turned the champion or not.”
As for the probabilities of White determining a solution to have Jones and Ngannou struggle one another, don’t rely on it so long as Jones is within the UFC and White calls the pictures.
Though the MMA world at massive solely actually heard rumblings of a soured White-Ngannou working relationship within the months main as much as his departure from the UFC, White informed MMA Junkie the dangerous vibes return a minimum of round seven years.
“We’ll by no means be in enterprise collectively (once more). I imply, you may inform: We don’t like one another,” White stated. “And this goes manner again. This goes again to earlier than the primary Stipe struggle (at UFC 220 in Jaunary 2018). He pulled some sh*t earlier than the primary Stipe struggle, and I stated, ‘I’m executed with this man.’ After which Stipe beat the sh*t out of him – nice night time – and we by no means had a relationship after that.”
After his loss to Miocic, Ngannou misplaced to Lewis in mid-2018. White was publicly vital of him throughout the interval of these two losses and stated his ego received the most effective of him.
Later that yr, Ngannou knocked out Curtis Blaydes in 45 seconds and received a bonus. He put away former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in 26 seconds. He stopped former champ Junior dos Santos in 71 seconds. He knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds to get a title shot with Miocic.
After he completed Miocic within the second spherical, he defended his title in opposition to Gane in Jaunary 2022, then left the promotion after his contract was up.
Ngannou’s backstory of his rise from poverty in Africa to homeless on the streets of Paris earlier than he found MMA is a well-known a part of MMA lore. In April, the 38-year-old suffered the tragic dying of his 15-month-old son Kobe.
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