Dana White has opened up on why he didn’t put the belt around Francis Ngannou with the beef between the two revealing their sour relationship
Over time, the beef between Dana White and Francis Ngannou hasn’t been guised. With Francis bereaved with the amount he’s paid by UFC and his adamant refusal to sign a new deal, his and Dana’s relation has regressed substantially.
Just how sour things had gotten between the two were emoted towards when White didn’t turn up to put the belt around Francis’ waist after he defeated Ciryl Gane in the UFC 270 main event to defend his showpiece title. UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard instead carried out the task, one which White has traditionally taken the onus of doing.
Dana White Opens Up On Why He Didn’t Put The Belt Around Francis Ngannou At UFC 270
The UFC President had also gone onto miss out on the post-fight press conference along with his typical interactions with the UFC’s broadcast partners. However, he’s finally opened up on why he didn’t hand the belt over to Francis with him quashing all reports of it being due to him squabbling with the winner.
During a fan Q&A session on ESPN+ White said, “I wasn’t out there for the main event — 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,” White said.
“For anybody to think that I was showing any type of disrespect towards 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.”
While Ngannou is tied to the UFC through December owing to a champion’s clause, he’s unlikely to sign a new deal with him team confident of him becoming an unrestricted free agent soon.
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