According to UFC President Dana White, despite a messy situation between Francis Ngannou and UFC management regarding contract talks, none of that played a factor at all when it came to what happened at the end of UFC 270.
Inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Ngannou successfully defended the UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. Not relying on his power to beat the crafty Gane, Ngannou would win thanks to a sound wrestling game. After the fight, it was UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard, not White, who presented the title to Ngannou. White also didn’t appear at the post-fight press conference.
Ngannou, who competed in the last fight of his current UFC deal, has been very vocal about his displeasure with the terms of his contract. He has felt disrespected by management during this time, and there was speculation that White was upset that Ngannou won. White spoke publicly for the first time since Saturday at an ESPN Q&A on Wednesday. Hosted by Laura Sanko, White took some time to explain why he was not there at the end of the night.
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“I actually walked out of the arena right after the co-main event because there was stuff going on that I was dealing with,” White said, via MMA Junkie. “For anybody to think I was showing any type of disrespect toward Francis, I saw Francis all week, you idiots. I shook his hand. I said hi to him. I was out there for the staredowns, the whole thing.”
White went on to explain he did the same thing when Michael Bisping fought Luke Rockhold. At UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, White also didn't show up at the end of Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia but appeared at the post-fight press conference.
Due to a champion's clause, Ngannou's contract goes until the end of 2022. He does not have to take a fight before his deal runs out. Ngannou is currently scheduled to undergo surgery to repair damage in his knee.
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During the Q&A, White praised Ngannou’s performance against Gane. While he didn’t get into details on Ngannou’s contract situation, White discussed a potential fight for the champion. A bout against Jon Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, could come into play. Jones attempted to get a fight against Ngannou booked in the past, but negotiations did not end well between “Bones” and UFC management.