The UFC's most consequential divorce is still producing headlines. Francis Ngannou fired back at Dana White this week after the UFC CEO admitted on the BigBoyTV podcast that he was rooting against Ngannou in his heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
“Damn right, I wanted Ngannou to lose.”
When asked to name a fighter he wanted to see lose, White didn't hesitate. "Damn right, I wanted Ngannou to lose," he said — an admission about a January 2022 title defense in Anaheim that arrived amid one of the most contentious contract disputes in UFC history. White has also placed Ngannou on his "Oscar De La Hoya list" of people he won't work with again, calling the former champion a "bad guy" he doesn't want to do business with.
Ngannou's response came on X, and it framed White's admission as validation of everything that pushed him out the door. "Saying the guy that I spent over three years and a lot of money in law firms building an escape plan to get away from, meanwhile he was doing everything in his power to ensure I was never free," Ngannou wrote. "You have to take that loss; it is irreversible."
The message cuts deeper because of what happened that night. Ngannou beat Gane by unanimous decision despite entering the bout with serious questions about his health — the Cameroonian was fighting through injuries that only became clear later — and showed a wrestling-heavy patience that surprised everyone who knew him as a pure knockout artist. It was his final fight under the UFC banner; he left the promotion in early 2023 as champion, creating a vacancy that reshaped the heavyweight division for years.
Since then, Ngannou chased boxing money against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, then returned to MMA with the PFL, knocking out Renan Ferreira in October 2024. He parted ways with the PFL in March, then knocked out Philipe Lins in the first round at MVP MMA 1 on a one-fight deal. His next move is unclear.
White can live with the result, as Ngannou put it. He just can't change it.
