Boxing News: UFC CEO Dana White Reacts to Francis Ngannou’s Performance Against Anthony Joshua: ‘Just Like That’
UFC CEO Dana White has finally broken silence on Francis Ngannou’s second-round KO loss to Anthony Joshua from Friday afternoon.
The bout was contested as the headliner to DAZN’s “Knockout Chaos” card, which took place in Saudi Arabia and saw Joshua deliver one of the most devastating punches in recent boxing memory.
White, who previously dealt with Ngannou as the ex-UFC heavyweight champion and couldn’t maintain the Cameroonian as one of the sport’s biggest attractions, told it like it was regarding the stoppage.
"If Fury trained for the fight and didn’t show up and look like he ate Tyson Fury, that’s probably the way that fight would have ended, too,” White told reporters at the UFC 299 post-fight presser. “You know how I feel about crossovers into boxing and that’s how they end. Just like that.”
White is no stranger to crossover fights himself, as he most notably promoted Randy Couture vs. James Toney in Aug. 2010 and Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor almost seven years to the exact date. As anticipated, Couture and Mayweather Jr. walked away victorious, as their respective sports won out.
Based on White’s comments, crossover fights don’t seem to be in the 54-year-old’s promotional long-term plans, especially considering he won’t entertain the idea of Ngannou facing Jon Jones in a potential PFL vs. UFC super-fight.
For now, White’s focus appears to remain locked into his promotion, the UFC, and rightfully so.
It remains to be seen if and when Ngannou competes in MMA again, having been without a fight since Jan. 2022.
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