Francis Ngannou is finally starting to speak out against Dana White after the UFC president trash talked Ngannou’s “bulls— PFL deal.”
Ngannou made waves last week when he announced he had signed an MMA contract with the Professional Fight League and would compete for them in 2024. Along with a rumored purse that would pay “The Predator” in the high seven-figure neighborhood, Ngannou also got a seat on the PFL’s athlete advisory board and ‘chairman’ status for PFL Africa.
And perhaps most importantly, Ngannou is allowed to pursue big money boxing deals on his own. It’s a good deal for Ngannou, but White has been blunt about it ‘making no sense’ for the PFL.
“He signs with this company, and he’s not even willing to fight their champions right now,” White said (amongst other things). “He’s fought three times in the last three years. Am I the only one that this whole thing is just a bunch of bulls—t?”
Up until this point, Francis Ngannou has been pretty chill as the UFC and Dana White have used their promotional machine to portray him as difficult to work with and scared of Jon Jones. Now he’s firing back in a series of tweets that end in a challenge.
“What is your problem with me?” Ngannou wrote. “1. I completed my contract, was a free agent, and chose to walk away. You didn’t release me. 2. I hate taking risks? That’s why I defended my title to fulfill my contract with no ACL or MCL?”
“3. The reason I fought three times in three years is because you wanted to control my deal and signs a new one. And freeze me out. ‘I owe these guys three fights a year.’ Isn’t that what you say? What happened? I always asked for & never said no to any fight in the 3 years. I’m finally getting paid and respected, and have a deal that’s fair and equal for all parties. Why are you so against me being free and happy?”
“If you ever really want that Jon Jones fight to happen reach out to [PFL president] Pete Murray,” Ngannou finished. “Whenever, wherever.”
We doubt this is the last time Ngannou and White will be battling it out. At least Ngannou has finally realized he’s in a fight with the UFC president, whether he wants to be or not. And losing could seriously damage his reputation … more than it already has.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
