Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White has a history of criticizing fighters he feels don’t perform, especially if they’re on high profile pay-per-views like at UFC 226, when a hugely-anticipated heavyweight clash between two of the biggest hitters in the division in Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis took place in the co-main event.
Ngannou, who was coming off a one-sided unanimous decision loss to former champion Stipe Miocic back in January, looked completely gun shy and unwilling to engage with Lewis. Color commentator Joe Rogan made the point during the fight that perhaps the manner of Ngannou’s loss to Miocic may have affected him psychologically going forward, considering his rise to fame.
White blasted Ngannou’s performance and said his ego had gotten the better of him. Although he did have some sympathy for Lewis, who also looked off his game once he discovered “The Black Beast” had a reoccurrence of back spasms, which have troubled the big man throughout his career.
Ngannou has apologized for his performance on July 7, admitting that he “carried my fear from the last fight to this one” and left it at that.
Ngannou appeared on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” to respond to the criticism by White, stating he was “hurt” and surprised by the comments.
“If someone has an issue with you and doesn’t tell you, how would you (react) — if you haven’t seen him or talked with (him)?” Ngannou said. “If you have an issue, tell me.
“We are all human. I don’t necessarily agree I have an ego. I’m never one to stay down when I fell down. You have to have that ego when you’re a fighter. You have to stand there and believe you’re No. 1. That’s ego. But not the one to hurt the people around me.”
Ngannou said he’s had no direct contact with White since the fight at UFC 226.
“We haven’t spoke together,” Ngannou said. “I don’t know why. If he had something to say, he would tell me.”
As for what the future holds, Ngannou said he will returning to his home country of Cameroon to open a gym in his village so he can spread awareness of MMA in Africa.
The former title challenger is hopeful of another fight before the year ends and has earmarked former UFC champ Junior dos Santos (19-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC) as the man he’d like to fight next.
Dos Santos is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Blagoy Ivanov at UFC Fight Night 133 on Saturday. Ngannou and Dos Santos were supposed to fight at UFC 215 in September before the fight fell through.
“I have no injuries,” Ngannou said. “This year I want to fight. Who I want to fight, exactly? I was supposed to fight Junior almost a year, 10 months ago. He just came back. Great win. So, maybe that one.”