Francis Ngannou appeared quite laissez-faire regarding allegations of a past physical altercation with UFC CEO Dana White when given the opportunity to defend himself this week.
Earlier this year, UFC’s White claimed that Ngannou once grabbed him by his shirt and pushed him during an interaction at the company’s office. White also alleged that a similar exchange occurred with Hunter Campbell, UFC’s Chief Business Officer.
Ngannou never explicitly denied White’s claims when asked during an appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show, but cryptically wondered if there was any video proof of the alleged incident.
“In his office [it happened], that’s what he said, right? Well, I’m sure he has a lot of cameras there,” Ngannou replied when outright asked whether or not such an interaction with White has occurred before.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion brushed off the claims from White, saying they “Don’t feel important.” Ngannou explained his fatigue with defending himself from such comments earlier in the interview:
“You know, at some point it feels very annoying to be responsible of what people say,” he explained. “Basically, if Dana said this, then I’m out here gonna basically defend myself for what Dana said, or, whomever. I think whatever he said, if he’s in peace with it, it’s okay.”
Ngannou’s exit from the UFC came on sour terms, vacating the brand’s heavyweight belt and hitting the free agent market in 2023.
He signed a deal shortly after his release to join the PFL, where he has fought once. Ngannou has also appeared in a pair of high-profile boxing bouts, facing Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
