Ngannou Hits Back At Dana White Over Pay Claims
Francis Ngannou has hit back at Dana White’s comments, which claimed that the MMA fighter did not get paid as much as was claimed, for his boxing bouts.
Ngannou and White have not been on the best of terms ever since The Predator left the UFC last year.
Ngannou reportedly turned down an $8 million contract on the grounds that his rights as an independent contractor would be compromised. He would eventually depart from the UFC and sign a deal with the PFL. White said he would never work with Ngannou again while shutting down any idea of co-promotion with the PFL. That meant fans are unlikely to see Ngannou face Jon Jones anytime soon.
Francis then boxed twice under his PFL deal, facing Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He performed well against Fury, pushing the Gypsy King to the distance. While he lost a split decision, some felt he had done enough to win. He dropped Fury in the third round and pushed him back on several occasions. The performance earned him a top-ten ranking within the WBC.
The fight against Joshua was far less successful. AJ knocked him out in the second round, bringing Ngannou’s boxing career down to earth. However, there were reports that Ngannou had earned more than his entire UFC earnings from those two fights. The Fury fight reportedly earned him $10 million, while the Joshua fight was somewhere close to $20 million. Dana White questioned those numbers, stating that he knew the exact figures. Ngannou has now had his say.
Ngannou On White
“Personally at this point, it’s been a while since I’ve taken anything from Dana White as credible. I don’t give any importance because the things that he says a lot of times cannot make sense. But just for this statement, I will say for everything that I left the UFC for – every single thing – I have had more. Way more. Everything.
“Name it. Just say I have had everything way more, just for the reference. I’m very comfortable. To this day, I fight because I love fighting. I don’t fight because I need to pay bills or because I need to pay debts. I don’t fight because I need to make a living. [And] I fight because I want to. I can say, ‘OK, I’m out.’ And I will be good. And it would be the last time that you see me,” Ngannou said
Those comments are significant for the following reasons: The UFC is facing two lawsuits from former fighters who claimed that the UFC breached antitrust laws to form a monopoly and control how much their fighters could earn. A settlement of $375 million has been agreed upon. However, this is dependent on the courts approving it, something that has not happened. If it does not get passed, then the case will go to trial.
White On Boxing
Dana White has also suggested that he could enter into the sport of boxing. He helped put on one of the biggest events in the sport when Floyd Mayweather boxed Conor McGregor in 2017. The Irishman would get stopped in the 10th round, but he was praised for staying in the fight for so long. The fight earned McGregor a reported $100 million, securing his financial future. Meanwhile, the fight sold 4.3 million PPVs. There were suggestions that White was going to launch Zuffa Boxing in 2018.
He has previously hit out at the state of the sport, criticizing Showtime’s production before they went out of the sport at the end of 2023. Since then, White has hinted that he could enter the sport after saying that he would be making an announcement. There are suggestions that he could create an alternative, much like the UFC, where it is centralized so fans get to see the biggest fights.
But if that does end up happening, then fighters could earn less than what they usually get. This is primarily directed towards elite-level fighters who are able to charge high PPVs due to their massive fanbase. Regardless, Ngannou appears to have secured his financial future, meaning that he can focus on creating his legacy in MMA and boxing.
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