Dana White, president of the UFC, has expressed his disapproval of MMA fighters crossing over to boxing following the brutal knockout loss of ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou to Anthony Joshua.
Dana White’s reaction to Anthony Joshua’s demolition of Francis Ngannou? Not shocked in the slightest. He’s got a thing against MMA fighters trying their luck in the boxing ring, you see.
The day before UFC 299 in Miami, Ngannou had a rough time. Joshua knocked him out cold. The ex-UFC champ got knocked down twice before a final right hook put him out of his misery.
Ngannou’s first boxing match was a different story. He knocked down Tyson Fury, the lineal heavyweight champ, and nearly won by a hair’s breadth.
But this time? Joshua had Ngannou on the ropes from the get-go. He floored him in the first round, then again in the second. After Ngannou managed to get up from the second knockdown, Joshua came at him with a brutal overhand right. The former UFC heavyweight champ was out before he even hit the mat.
White’s take on the knockout? “I saw it on social media,” he said. “If Fury had trained for the fight and didn’t show up looking like he’d eaten Tyson Fury, that’s probably how it would’ve ended too.”
Ngannou’s close call with Fury is what got him the fight with Joshua. But the two fights couldn’t have been more different.
Back in his UFC days, Ngannou often spoke about wanting to fight Fury. That played a part in his decision to leave UFC. He nearly beat Fury, but he couldn’t say the same about his fight with Joshua.
White’s view on watching Ngannou get knocked out? It’s proof of why he’s never been a fan of these crossover fights.
“You know how I feel about crossovers into boxing,” White said. “That’s how they end. Just like that.”
Despite White’s feelings, Ngannou’s made it clear he’s not done with boxing. Whether his next fight will be in the ring or if he’ll debut with the PFL is still up in the air. He signed a hefty contract with the new promotion after leaving UFC.