Dana White reveals Francis Ngannou is the last fighter he wanted to lose

Dana White has made clear his personal animosity toward Francis Ngannou, revealing that the former UFC heavyweight champion ranks among the fighters he most wanted to see lose. White and Ngannou have feuded for years, with tensions escalating when Ngannou held the title and ultimately exited the UFC in 2023 without renewing his contract.

Their conflict predates Ngannou's championship reign. When the heavyweight title bout between Ngannou and Ciryl Gane came up as the final fight of Ngannou's UFC deal, White openly rooted for Gane to dethrone him. "Damn right I wanted Ngannou to lose," White stated bluntly. However, Ngannou secured a decision victory at UFC 270, and White notably declined to perform the traditional cage-side championship belt ceremony—an omission he later attributed to other backstage duties.

After the win, Ngannou underwent knee surgery and sat out the remainder of his contract before departing the UFC in 2023. White has continued his public criticism since, recently calling Ngannou "a bad guy" and dismissing any prospect of future collaboration. Ngannou responded to the renewed jabs, reigniting the feud.

White's vendetta against Ngannou now appears comparable to his long-standing disdain for former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, another fighter with whom he has a deeply fractured relationship. White has even spoken proudly of how his public mockery of Ortiz—whom he called "one of the dumbest people ever"—spawned entire social media accounts dedicated to documenting Ortiz's statements, generating revenue for content creators based on the fighter's controversial remarks.