Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) officials may not be in contact with Francis Ngannou’s management team, but company president Dana White has finally made contact with his heavyweight champion.
According to White, he and “The Predator” happened to bump into each other in Las Vegas, Nevada. And what started as a chance encounter resulted in a productive chat between fighter and promoter.
“Francis and I bumped into each other the other night at dinner,” White said in a recent interview with Teddy Atlas (via MMA Fighting). “We had a good talk and he’s not out of contract if he wins that fight. I think he’s got one more fight with us after that. I say it all the time, this sport’s fun for me. I love doing this, and contrary to the narrative out there, we’ve made a lot of people very wealthy,” he added.
The outspoken president of the biggest MMA promotion in the world recently stated that Ngannou — as well as any other fighter on his roster — is free and clear to leave once his or her contract is up. And while he would try to persuade his biggest starts to hang around, if they opt to leave then so be it.
“If you don’t wanna be here, if this is not where you want to be, well, that’s not fun for you and it’s definitely not fun for me, either. They are all grown men and women, and everybody has to make their own decisions in life and go down their own paths, but I think Francis and I had a good conversation,” he said before taking another shot at Ngannou’s management team.
“I think Francis has been misguided by some people who aren’t very bright,” White stated. “That doesn’t help either when you’ve got some people behind you who have no f*cking clue what they’re talking about. It doesn’t help your situation.”
Ngannou is scheduled to face off against former training partner Ciryl Gane in a title unification bout at the UFC 270 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Jan. 22, 2022 in Anaheim, California. An emphatic win will give “The Predator” all the leverage he and his team need to warrant a lucrative contract extension, which could come with a big time showdown against former Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
If not, there is always the “sweet science.”
