Dana White has given his take on the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight.
The fight went above and beyond the general consensus before the fight in that Ngannou managed to put in a competitive performance. In a fight where the former UFC heavyweight champion was making his boxing debut, Ngannou went the distance and troubled Fury in the process.
The MMA fighter sent Fury to the canvas in round three with a left hook. In addition, Ngannou equally took shots on the chin as he appeared unfazed by Fury’s power. Although it was not enough to secure a win, as Fury got a split-decision victory, some within the boxing community felt he should have gotten the win. Carl Froch and Carl Frampton had both scored it in favour of Ngannou. And following the fight, White was shocked by what he had seen.
“I didn’t see the fight, but the fact that he went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury is crazy. He just went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury. Conor (McGregor) made it 9 or 10 with Floyd. Anthony Pettis just beat Roy Jones Jr. – I know Roy is friggin’ 60 years old or whatever. But I don’t know what the hell is going on. It’s crazy. I didn’t see the fight, but the fact that he went 10 rounds is unbelievable. I don’t care [about the impact on the UFC]. Listen, these guys, at some point, everybody is going to move on. Everybody has to do what’s right for them and make money for their families, so whatever they’ve got to do, they’ve got to do,” White stated
Prior to those comments being made, however, Ngannou was dismissive of what White may have said about his performance. After all, the two are no longer on good terms. Following Ngannou’s departure from the UFC, after failing to agree a new contract, the fighter signed a deal with the PFL. Meanwhile, White claimed the fighter would never work with the UFC again. As such, Ngannou did not appear enthusiastic by what White may go on to say.
“Who cares, Dana White feels what Dana White feels. I feel what I feel (and) personally I feel great. You have to send him an invite so you can ask him, I’d like to know, too… You have to understand Dana has power over a lot of fighters. A lot of them are just there to please the boss, a lot of them don’t have their own personality, their own identity so they just want to fit in on something and you can’t blame them. It takes a lost, it costs a lot to stand up and say what you think. Some people don’t just have it, and some people make themselves a puppet. It’s okay, but I can’t be anybody’s puppet. I’m too big for that. I’m too proud for that,” Ngannou said