Disrespect? UFC boss refutes rumours and explains why Ngannou didn’t get the belt from him

While UFC 270 offered answers to the questions of who will be the flyweight and heavyweight champion, there were a few other questions besides. They were mainly related to the head of the organization. Not only did Dana White not award the title to Francis Ngannou, but he didn’t even attend the press conference. He has now explained why this happened.

The UFC’s first numbered tournament of the year offered a strange situation. There were two title fights, however, the head of the organization Dana White handed out only one championship belt. It came from his hands to Deiveson Figueiredo, who defeated Brandon Moreno.

However, Francis Ngannou, who defended his heavyweight title against Cyril Gano, only received the belt from matchmaker Mick Maynard. This caused a great deal of speculation. Even more so when White did not attend the press conference.

There was a lot of talk about White’s relationship with Ngannou, which hasn’t been very positive for a long time. Ngannou is in fact constantly fighting for better terms, White for a change said that the UFC doesn’t need him as a fighter and that if he wants to leave, he’s free to do so.

However, White brushed all speculation off in an interview with ESPN: “I wasn’t available for the whole main event. I left right after the main pre-fight because I had some things to sort out backstage. That I was trying to disrespect Francis? I mean, I saw him all week before the game, shook his hand, talked to him and was there for the staredowns.”

However, the UFC boss understands that people and the media are immediately looking for something more in this. But he says it’s not the first time something like this has happened to him. He recalled specific examples during the Bisping vs. Rockhold or Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia fights, for example.

But the fact is that White’s absence caught even Ngannou himself by surprise. Moreover, the latter revealed after the tournament that during a trip to the arena, he received an email informing him that the UFC was suing him for dealing with promoter Jake Paul, which is forbidden in his current contract.

Source: MMA Fighting, ESPN, UFC