“Evil, Awful, Dana White Business” Exposed by Chael Sonnen With Reluctance to Let Francis Ngannou Fight Tyson Fury Back in His UFC Days

Francis Ngannou and Dana White’s relationship has been strained ever since Ngannou left the UFC to pursue his dreams in boxing. Ngannou’s contract disputes with the UFC took center stage in the news during his free agency before he inked a deal with the PFL (Professional Fighters League).  The UFC had previously played a part in promoting Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather. The boxer vs MMA fighter event drew massive numbers on PPV, which caused fans to wonder why the same opportunity was denied to Ngannou.

Chael Sonnen, former UFC middleweight contender and analyst, recently revealed the reason behind Dana White’s reluctance to promote Ngannou in boxing. Sonnen made some interesting revelations about the behind-the-scenes events that may have influenced Dana White and his decision to release Ngannou from the UFC!

Dana White and ‘the timing’ behind not promoting Francis Ngannou 

Francis Ngannou made a statement when he left the UFC at the height of his popularity. Even after suffering from a knee injury, Ngannou stepped up to defend his title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. But during contract negotiations after the fight, Ngannou decided to walk away from the promotion. He stated that the UFC contract was extremely binding and didn’t allow him any chances to pursue his dreams of a boxing fight. The compensation for his fights was also a concern mentioned by Ngannou.

The appeal of crossover fights between MMA fighters and boxers began when Conor McGregor took on Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Now, in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen has revealed that “…the timing matters, Chuck Versus Tito part 3, nobody watched that and it drove a company out of business.”

He further went on to explain that, “to enforce your right to match clause even if you’re not talking to the guy and you’ve got no plans to do it, you just want to do it to be annoying and hold the guy, if you have the right, Dana didn’t do that.

Dana White did not take steps to enforce the right-to-match clause. And he publicly announced that Francis was granted a full release without any restrictions. This decision was made considering Francis’s knee injury and the need for leveraging and positioning in contract negotiations according to Sonnen.

Despite any back-and-forth discussions, Francis did not lose any days of work because of his injury. And as soon as he was ready, he could explore other opportunities. Sonnen emphasizes that this public information, “absolutely clears any of this evil, awful, Dana White business.“

With his performance against Tyson Fury, Ngannou has taken the sport of MMA to new heights. When asked about what Dana White feels about his performance, Ngannou had a few interesting words for his former boss!

Ngannou shares his feelings on what his former boss thought of his performance

Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, faced WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury in his boxing debut. Although he lost, his display left a mark on the sports world. He dropped Fury in the third round immaculately. And went the distance in a 10-round bout with one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of his generation. Despite a split decision loss that many fans thought should have gone his way.

When asked on “The MMA Hour” how he thinks Dana White feels about the fight, Ngannou simply said, “Who cares?”. He emphasized that his personal feelings matter more to him. Ngannou also suggested inviting Dana White on the show for his opinion.

Since their parting, Dana White has criticized Ngannou’s choices and decision-making. White questioned Ngannou’s willingness to take risks and made remarks stating, “(Ngannou) feels he’s in a good position where he can fight lesser opponents and make more money.”

Read More: A Young and Frantic Conor McGregor Once Had Dana White Deliver a Crucial Promise That Ultimately Paved the Irishman’s Path to Superstardom

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Ngannou. He has stated that he would like to fight in MMA once more for the PFL. With his incredible performance against Tyson Fury, the entire world will be waiting to watch what ‘The Predator’ does next!

Do you think Dana White made a mistake in his negotiations with Francis Ngannou? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

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