“Anthony Joshua Called It a Gimmick”: Dana White Attacks Francis Ngannou and PFL as UFC President Dismisses Boxing Talks Surrounding the Ex Champ

UFC president, Dana White, is someone who is proud of the growth of the UFC. White has never tolerated the media comparing the UFC to other MMA promotions. As per him, the UFC is the world’s biggest MMA promotion and stands out from the rest for various reasons. The 53-year-old often mentions that the greatness of the UFC lies in the frequency of fights between the best fighters in the world. Hence, the UFC boss looks down on the “gimmick” fights that occur in boxing. White also lashed out at the business strategy of the Professional Fighters League.

After leaving the UFC, Francis Ngannou signed a contract with the UFC’s rival MMA promotion, PFL. Ngannou had several failed negotiations with the UFC president for a renewal. He wanted increased pay, permission to take contracts outside the UFC, and health insurance for the fights. White felt the demands were totally unacceptable, and this resulted in Ngannou joining PFL for a multi-million dollar deal. However, White feels that the deal does not make a lick of sense for all parties.

Dana White was not ready to accept any “gimmick fight”

In a video uploaded by The MAC Life, the UFC boss took part in a press conference. During the conference, White detailed his thoughts on the deal between PFL and ‘The Predator’. White said, “PFL’s going to pay this guy to train for a boxing match that may not even happen and that they might not even be involved in. How does that make any sense?“

White went on the say that how Anthony Joshua made it clear that he doesn’t want to fight against Ngannou as he is looking forward to fighting against the best boxers in the world. White added, “I mean Anthony Joshua called it a gimmick fight this week, you know. When asked about that fight, he’s like ‘I’m focused on fighting the best guys in the world. I’m not interested in the gimmick fight right now. And that’s one of the big problems with boxing right now.” White expressed his disdain for the state of affairs in boxing today.

Nevertheless, the UFC president lambasted Ngannou for his unwillingness to take a risk.

Francis Ngannou was not ready to take a risk, says UFC boss

 In the latter part of the conversation, the UFC boss mentioned how there are no gimmicky fights in the UFC and that it’s real. He added, “It’s all about these gimmicky-type fights [in boxing], and that’s just not what I do here [in the UFC]. It’s not what I do. I put on fights with the best fighters in the world and fights that people want to see.”

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In the press conference, the 53-year-old also talked about Ngannou leaving the UFC. According to White, the Cameroonian-French fighter didn’t want to take any risks by fighting Jon Jones. Instead, he chose to leave the promotion. White added that if Ngannou and Jones locked horns, ‘The Predator’ would face the same fate as Ciryl Gane.

What do you make of White’s claims? Let us know in the comments section below.

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