FL: Dana White Receives Key To City Of Miami MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 11: CEO and President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC Dana White speaks during the Dana White key to the city ceremony at Miami City Hall on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Photo by Alberto E. Tamargo/Sipa USA Miami Florida United States of America NOxUSExINxGERMANY PUBLICATIONxINxALGxARGxAUTxBRNxBRAxCANxCHIxCHNxCOLxECUxEGYxGRExINDxIRIxIRQxISRxJORxKUWxLIBxLBAxMLTxMEXxMARxOMAxPERxQATxKSAxSUIxSYRxTUNxTURxUAExUKxVENxYEMxONLY Copyright: xAlbertoxE.xTamargox Editorial use only
Dana White, UFC CEO, has fighters that he’s loved to work with and fighters he just can’t and couldn’t wait to get rid of in his time as the head of the promotion. It’s certainly no secret that White is a powder keg of a boss with a documented mean streak in his years as UFC President and later CEO.
There are a laundry list of outrageous remarks made by this man and we could be here until this time next week trying to outline them all. We’d barely be scratching the surface if we took on this endeavor.
Just as there are a number of crazy comments that Dana White has made publicly, he’s also had a number of beefs with UFC fighters, both current and former. One of White’s past clientele may have moved onto the greener pastures of the Professional Fighters League, but it doesn’t mean that this man’s verbal assault on his ex-boss has slowed by any stretch of the imagination.
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Dana White Recalls Volatile Exchange Between Him and “The Predator”
Enter Francis Ngannou. The one nicknamed “The Predator” was a member of the UFC’s active roster between 2015 and 2022, posting a 12-2 record in his seven years. While he was a proven winner in the heavyweight ranks, he got into some intense spats with Dana White during his time in the promotion.
White appeared as a guest of the Flagrant podcast in its Nov. 18 episode. During the podcast, the UFC CEO recalled a particular incident involving him and Francis Ngannou.
“When you’re an athlete signed by the UFC, you get full access to the Performance Institute, you can eat there for free,” Dana White began. Everything’s free and (you can) do all this (stuff.) This guy was (expletive deleted) living (at the UFC PI.) He had just fought and he came up to my office. He was (censored) off that he didn’t get a $50,000 bonus.”
Exchange Between Dana White, Francis Ngannou Quickly Turns Physical
Also during the podcast, the UFC CEO mentioned that his spat with Francis Ngannou ended with the two men nearly coming to blows.
“‘Francis, you didn’t get it because of this [and] that’”, Dana White recalls, “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 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 is.”
Not only was Dana White a target of this altercation, Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s Chief Business Officer, was also subjected to a physical push from Francis Ngannou.
Altercation Between Dana White and Francis Ngannou Could Have Been Avoidable
In addition to mentioning the Tet-a-Tet between them, Dana White mentioned that he was prepared to issue walking papers to Francis Ngannou. Members of White’s staff overruled him, however.
“I told my guys that I wanted to cut [Ngannou] early,” he said. “Two of my matchmaker guys are like ‘No, you don’t understand.’ I said, ‘Guys, let me tell you a story: When somebody shows you who they are, believe them. Believe them’”.
Dana White and Francis Ngannou finally parted company in the wake of a 2022 fight against Ciryl Gane to unify the UFC Heavyweight Championship during the main event of UFC 270 in Anaheim, CA at Honda Center.
Dana White Should Have Cut Francis Ngannou When He Had the Chance
One question remains in the wake of this podcast interview, and it’s a simple one: Why on Earth did Dana White keep Francis Ngannou on the UFC’s active roster as long as he did? The fact that Ngannou remained with the UFC even after he got into a physical conflict with both White and Campbell is mind-boggling.
While Francis Ngannou was a proven star inside the fabled Octagon during his UFC tenure, doing what he did to Dana White and Hunter Campbell should have been grounds for dismissal, hard stop.
Had Francis Ngannou been working a typical 9-to-5 job and he pulled that, he would have been fired on the spot, not to mention blackballed from being put on the hiring list for any rival companies. Dana White should have terminated Francis Ngannou’s contract long before the altercation took place.
