It is not news that Francis Ngannou is not a favorite in the UFC. In fact, UFC boss Dana White alleged that ‘The Predator’ initiated a physical altercation inside the promotion’s office after a $50K fight bonus snub. However, to one retired MMA fighter and commentator, this story is a hard pill to swallow.
“I could see in this guy’s face and in his eyes and the way he’s acting who this guy really f*****g is,” White had claimed on Flagrant a few weeks ago. Chael Sonnen believes that it is the root cause of the feud, rather than an actually hot-headed, terrifying persona that Ngannou carries.
Chael Sonnen shares his verdict on Dana White’s accusations
Appearing on the Ariel Helwani Show, Sonnen handled White’s accusations on Ngannou’s physical demeanor against him and UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell with the nuance it demanded. “I heard that story for years that Francis made contact, not with Dana, but I knew that he did with Hunter. I didn’t believe the story. I never talked about it because I never believed it,” Sonnen shared.
Moreover, bringing up his own altercation with the now-PFL fighter, Sonnen made a point to share how Ngannou never crossed the line, bleeding into the physical realm. “I only bring that up because Francis didn’t really do anything. I mean, he turned around, and he raised his voice, but that was the same thing I was doing. I’m just not as frightening looking as Francis.”
This statement hit the nail on the head about what made Ngannou feel more formidable and terrifying than he ever acts. While Chael Sonnen wouldn’t consider him to be Ngannou’s biggest fan, the retired pro can relate to his attitude in heated environments, which is amplified in the media, mostly given his intimidating looks.
“I think that Francis’s actions, for the most part, are probably in line with what a lot of other people would do, but maybe he gets a little bit harsher criticism because he would go into the category of terrifying,” Sonnen’s verdict invited no doubt.
While it looks plausible for a 6’4″ fighter to be physical, giving way to White’s allegations, what truly happened inside the UFC office remains behind closed doors. However, Francis Ngannou is not having any more of those accusations, as he recently stated while speaking up against Dana White.
Francis Ngannou calls out Dana White’s claims
The controversy has, undoubtedly, taken a toll on Francis Ngannou’s public image, with the promotion head painting him as a tough nut and a problem inside the fighting organization. But the ‘Predator’ didn’t jump to defend himself against White’s accusations, as he detailed the exhaustive nature of these claims in the Ariel Helwani Show.
Ngannou shared that after a certain period of time with fame, trying to respond to and excuse yourself for everyone’s words gets tiring. That is more so for a fighter who has been made to be the villain every time Ngannou so much as raised his voice.
Calling out the fragile grounds on which White has based his claims, Ngannou added, “In his office, that’s what he said, right? Well, I’m sure he has a lot of cameras there. As I said, over time, I just get tired of that stuff. I really saw that and scrolled [past]. I get past it.”