UFC president Dana White has admitted Francis Ngannou running Tyson Fury close in the boxing ring was ‘crazy’ despite not watching the fight himself. For many, the former UFC heavyweight champion even did enough to prevail on the scorecards in Saudi Arabia after flooring boxing’s WBC king with a chopping left hook in round three.
In the end it was Fury’s hand who was raised via a hugely controversial split-decision verdict, with fans across the globe calling robbery after a terrific display from Ngannou. ‘I didn’t see the fight, but the fact that [Ngannou] went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury is crazy,’ he said.
Ngannou, who cut ties with the UFC at the start of the year following a contractual dispute with White, shocked the world by going the distance with Fury in their crossover boxing encounter last weekend.
Almost a week on from the bout that sent shockwaves through the combat-sports world, White broke his silence on Ngannou’s defeat by Fury during an appearance on Donald Trump Jr’s ‘Triggered’ podcast.
‘He just went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury, Conor [McGregor] made it 9 or 10 with Floyd [Mayweather], Anthony Pettis just beat Roy Jones Jr. – I know Roy is friggin’ 60 years old or whatever, but I don’t know what the hell is going on. It’s crazy. ‘I didn’t see the fight, but the fact that he went 10 rounds is unbelievable.’
The 37-year-old is a man in demand 10 months after parting company with the UFC, but White insists he has no qualms with fighters jumping ship to a rival sport. ‘I don’t care,’ he said when asked about the prospect of MMA stars switching over to boxing. ‘Listen, these guys, at some point, everybody is going to move on. Everybody has to do what’s right for them and make money for their families. ‘So whatever they’ve got to do, they’ve got to do.’
While a rematch with Fury appears unlikely due to the Gypsy King’s proposed undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk, Ngannou has emerged as a potential opponent for the likes of Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder following his impressive performance in Saudi.
