Dana White Wanted Ciryl Gane to Defeat Francis Ngannou at UFC 270
Dana White has never pretended to like Francis Ngannou. Now he’s gone a step further: he’s admitted he actively rooted against him on one of the biggest nights of the heavyweight’s career.
The UFC president revealed that when Ngannou defended his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022, he was hoping the champion would lose.
Asked on Big Boy’s show to name the last time he genuinely wanted a UFC fighter to lose, White didn’t hesitate.
“A guy that I wanted to lose… it would have to be Francis Ngannou,” he said. “Damn right I wanted Ngannou to lose.”
On that night in Anaheim, White didn’t get what he wanted. Ngannou, fighting on a damaged knee and locked in a bitter contract standoff with the promotion, dug in and beat the slicker, more technical Gane over five rounds. The judges handed him a unanimous decision and, with it, the leverage he needed to walk away from the UFC as undisputed champion.
White has long since made it clear that his issues with Ngannou go beyond the usual promoter–fighter friction. He doesn’t just dislike negotiating with him; he says he wants nothing to do with him at all.
Earlier this week, White again went on the offensive, branding Ngannou “a bad guy” and lumping him in with one of his most notorious enemies.
“Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list,” White said. “Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he’s been with. He’s a bad guy, man. He’s a bad guy, and I’m at a point in my life where I just don’t want to do business with bad guys, you know what I mean? I just don’t.”
The personal edge in those words is unmistakable. This isn’t the usual posturing over money or matchmaking. White is painting a picture of a fighter he believes has burned bridges everywhere he has gone.
Ngannou, for now, has stayed above the fray. He has not fired back in detail at White’s latest comments, nor at the revelation that the UFC boss wanted him to lose his final UFC title defence. Given their history, his response—if it comes—will be watched closely.
The reality is simple: Ngannou is no longer a UFC fighter. He left as champion, tested free agency, and moved on. The UFC, at least in theory, has done the same.
White, though, keeps returning to his former heavyweight king. Every new interview, every fresh jab, drags the rivalry back into the spotlight and keeps alive a feud that no longer has any bearing on the promotion’s official rankings or belts.
Meanwhile, the UFC heavyweight division has its own problems. Current champion Tom Aspinall has not fought in nearly a year, leaving the title picture stagnant and the top contenders waiting for clarity.
If White really is done with “bad guys,” the next move is obvious: stop talking about the one who got away and start fixing the division he left behind.
