This weekend saw some major news come out of the UFC, as it was announced that reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou had failed to come to terms with the promotion on a new contract.
After essentially throwing Francis Ngannou under the bus, Dana White went on to announce that the heavyweight title was now vacant, and a fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane, set for March, would decide the new champion.
Remarkably, Francis Ngannou has now become the first reigning UFC champion to depart the promotion since B.J. Penn did the same thing in 2004.
The big question now, of course, is whether ‘The Predator’ leaving for pastures new will turn out to be a tipping point for the UFC’s relationship with its fighters – or whether things will simply follow the status quo.
Ngannou went into his UFC 270 fight with Ciryl Gane in January 2022 with a busted knee and on the final fight of his contract, knowing that if he could achieve a win, he would have options and leverage heading into negotiations that few others have enjoyed.
Whether those options prove to be better ones remains to be seen. PFL, Bellator and BKFC are already showing interest in his services. A boxing match with Tyson Fury is also high on Ngannou’s bucket list. There are things he can do and perhaps for more financial gain.
The choice to determine his own path going forward is ultimately what Ngannou wanted out of this. He has yet to speak on this chapter in the story, but when he does, we’ll have a firmer idea about his decision process.
But right now, all we have is White’s statements from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 post-fight press conference. And if you believe them at face value, it’s a tad puzzling Ngannou would walk away from his belt, a record-setting contract offer and a generationally significant showdown with Jones. But those are the key words: If you believe.
It shouldn’t have to be pointed out that White doesn’t exactly have a track record of providing a complete narrative in these situations, nor should we expect him to. He has a history of willingly trashing fighters who don’t toe the company line, but in this instance, he was actually quite level-headed.
It’s also White’s job to paint himself and the UFC in the best light possible and try to minimize exterior damage for his company in an unideal moment like this one. However, that doesn’t mean we need to accept his words as gospel.
So in light of that, let’s analyze some of White’s key quotes from Saturday’s press conference.
