“I Saw Francis Ngannou All Week, You Idiots” – Dana White Claps Back at People Questioning His Absence After UFC 270

UFC 270 was a massive success and had some great fights on the card. The main event on the night was a heavyweight title clash between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. In this highly-anticipated collision, fans witnessed a totally different Ngannou as he out grappled his opponent to retain his title.

However, what started making the headlines was not his performance but the absence of Dana White. The UFC President is usually the one to present the champion with the belt, but this time, it was Mick Maynard. The MMA community instantly got after White and saw it as a sign of disrespect.

Days later, White has had his say on his absence and responded to all the critics. He said, “I actually walked out of the arena right after the co-main event because there was stuff going on backstage that I was dealing with. For anybody to think I was showing any type of disrespect toward Francis, I saw Francis all week, you idiots. I shook his hand, I said hi to him, I was out there for the staredowns, the whole thing.”

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“So for anybody to think that there was some type of disrespect shown toward Francis, I wasn’t out there for Michael Bisping vs. (Luke) Rockhold’s fight, either, because I was dealing with some stuff… I didn’t even have my jacket on. I only had my shirt on to go and put the belt on Bisping, but I couldn’t make it out there to put the belt on Francis.”

Dana White’s absence didn’t bother Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou has established himself as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. However, there are still issues looming over his contract. According to him, he is fighting for freedom and would want the promotion to make a few changes to the contract.

During a recent interview, the champion addressed White not putting the belt around him. ‘The Predator’ also took to Instagram and posted a picture. In the caption, he gave a shout-out to Mick Maynard. – “It was an absolute honor receiving the belt from @mickmaynard2. Couldn’t be a better person. Love this man.”

There is visible tension between the promotion and the heavyweight champion. He is one of the biggest names in the sport right now, and everyone would want them to sort out the differences so that they see him fight in the octagon again.

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What did you make of Dana White’s words? Let us know in the comments!