Francis Ngannou responds to Dana White’s latest attack: ‘You have to take that loss’

Francis Ngannou has fired back at UFC CEO Dana White's recent verbal attack, asserting that White "has to take that loss" following their long-running dispute over the heavyweight champion's 2023 departure from the promotion.

Ngannou left the UFC as champion after his contract expired and negotiations for a new deal collapsed. Since entering free agency, the pair have traded personal barbs, with White primarily on the offensive, recently calling Ngannou "a bad guy" and refusing to do business with him. On Friday, Ngannou responded via social media, referencing his efforts to escape the promotion: "Saying the guy that I spent over three years and a lot of money in law firms building an escape plan to get away from, meanwhile he was doing everything in his power to ensure I was never free. You have to take that loss; it is irreversible."

White has maintained that the UFC offered Ngannou a record heavyweight contract—surpassing even Brock Lesnar's pay—which the fighter rejected. Since his UFC exit, Ngannou has pursued boxing, challenging Tyson Fury and losing to Anthony Joshua in 2024, before returning to MMA with the PFL. He has scored knockout victories over Renan Ferreira and Philipe Lins in recent months.