Dana White was conspicious by his absence following Francis
Ngannou’s championship victory over Ciryl Gane
in the UFC 270
headliner at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday
night.
Normally, the UFC president is in the Octagon to wrap the belt
around the winner’s waist for championship bouts, and he was
present in the cage for Deiveson
Figueiredo’s victory in the UFC 270 co-main event earlier in
the evening. However, White’s absence from Ngannou’s celebration
and from Saturday’s post-fight press conference could be telling,
as Ngannou and the promotion have been at odds in recent
months.
“I don’t know. You have to ask him,” Ngannou said regarding White’s
absence. “No, I did not have anything to do about that. I think
that was their decision. I’m about to ask about that, too.”
Ngannou’s contract issues with the company have been
well-documented, and he failed to come to terms with the
organization prior to earning a unanimous decision over Gane at UFC
270. According to Ngannou, his grievances with the promotion go
beyond financial terms.
“It’s not simply money,” Ngannou said. “Obviously, money is a part
of it, but it’s also the terms of the contract that I don’t agree
with.
“I don’t feel like it’s fair. I don’t feel like I’m a free man. I
don’t feel like I’ve been treated good. It’s unfortunate that I
have to be in this position, that I have to say that. I feel like
everyone should have the right to claim for what’s best for them.
At the end of the day, we put a lot of work for this job and we
take a lot on our body to make it happen, so we can have a fair and
square deal.”
As it stands, Ngannou’s title victory activates a championship
clause in his contract, which includes three more fights with the
UFC or one year — whichever comes first. As someone who has fought
infrequently in recent years, “The Predator” isn’t afraid to sit on
the sideline for another year.
“In the past three years I have fought three times, so what does
that mean? Once a year,” Ngannou said. “It wouldn’t be something
strange. I’m not frustrated about anything, I’m at peace with my
decision.”
Remaining with the UFC isn’t totally out of the question for
Ngannou, but some things would have to change for the heavyweight
champion to feel welcome within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“I’ve expressed my willingness to stay in the UFC, to have a
contract just to be respected,” Ngannou said. “The only reason why
were are here, I think, is because at some point, I wasn’t
respected. [Dana] could have taken way less to get this deal done
but he went to a power position and got everybody frustrated, get
me frustrated, get me to lose the desire of doing things.
“I get in this sport, I didn’t grow up dreaming about this sport. I
just got into it because it was fun and all that stuff. Then you
get to the point that you’re kind of find yourself at that point in
the sport where it’s not fun, which is frustrating. It kind of
messes with your mind. But I’m pretty good trying to stay focused,
just think about the sport and nothing around it and hope that
things are going to go right.”