Yikes.
Last month, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White alleged that his former fighter — ex-UFC Heavyweight champion and current PFL athlete Francis Ngannou — got physical with him and UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell after a dispute over not receiving a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus (full details here).
White has called Ngannou a “bad guy” multiple times in recent years, but this was easily the most damning accusation yet.
Of course, White’s account was only one
side of the story, and many fans believed he was simply trying to smear his former champion even more. Now Ngannou has broken his silence … and things somehow got even murkier.
“I think the best person to answer is Dana White… At some point, I feel very annoyed to have to be responsible for what people say,” Ngannou told Ariel Helwani today. “Basically, if Dana says this, then I’m out here going to defend myself about what Dana said, or whomever. I think whatever he said — if he’s at peace with it — it’s okay. Why am I not surprised? I don’t find it necessary to address it. At some point it was, but over time, it’s not anymore.”
When asked why he still hasn’t addressed the allegation directly, Ngannou said he simply wants to avoid drama.
“Maybe I’m getting old. I feel like I have less energy for drama stuff. I just want to be in peace and for 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 things went. That’s all.
Ngannou was then asked point-blank if he ever put his hands on White — and again, he refused to confirm or deny it.
“Well, he must be the only person I ever put my hands on,” Ngannou said. “In his office — that’s what he said, right? Well, I’m sure he has a lot of cameras there.”
When Helwani followed up by asking if he wanted White to release the footage, Ngannou didn’t bite.
“I’m not inviting him to do anything. I’m not in court,” he said. “I just get tired of this stuff. I saw what Dana said and scrolled. I get past it… I’m long gone from that.”
Ngannou has pushed back on several accusations from White and UFC brass in the past, but his refusal to outright deny this one will definitely raise eyebrows.
Ngannou has not competed since demolishing PFL champion Renan Ferreira in under four minutes back in October 2024 (watch highlights). He also revealed during the interview that his current PFL contract is “ending soon,” but he still owes the promotion one more fight.
