Dana White says he and Francis Ngannou nearly fought in UFC office at the height of bad blood

UFC CEO Dana White recounted an incident between him and Francis Ngannou at the height of their bad blood.

UFC CEO Dana White and former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, once business partners in the promotion, are now distant adversaries. Things between White and Ngannou have grown tense over the past five years, resulting in Ngannou’s release from the UFC in early 2023.

Ngannou, now a part of the PFL’s roster, hasn’t slowed down in criticizing White and the UFC’s business practices. He continues to accuse the promotion of lowballing fighters financially, a problem he had during his tumultuous contract dispute with White and the brass.

White and Ngannou’s bad blood continues to boil years after they parted ways business-wise. But things went from verbal to physical just before the two sides split.

Dana White reveals when Francis Ngannou beef hit its peak

In a recent appearance on the FLAGRANT podcast, White shared a story of when things between him and Ngannou boiled over.

“This guy was f—– living [at the UFC PI]. He had just fought, and he came up to my office. He was p—-ed off that he didn’t get a $50,000 bonus,” White said. “‘Francis, you didn’t get it because this, that’…and he’s in my office, arguing with me. The conversation’s over, I start to leave, and he grabs me by my shirt and pushes me back into my office.

“I said, ‘Dude, get your f—– hands off me’. I could see it in this guy’s face, in his eyes, and the way he’s acting, who this guy really f—– is. Then my guy Hunter [Campbell], they were talking about something, might’ve been the same thing.

“And when Hunter started to walk away, Francis grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back. So this guy’s not a good f—– guy, he’s a bad guy.”