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Dana White minced no words while recently weighing in on Francis Ngannou's PFL contract. The UFC president massively downplayed the deal, which will reportedly make 'The Predator' the highest paid heavyweight in MMA.
However, White doesn't seem to think much of it. The UFC head honcho thinks it is unwise of the PFL to be paying an inactive Ngannou while he plots a boxing match that they might be left out of. The 53-year-old said at the UFC Vgeas 73 post-fight media scrum:
"Based on what I know about the deal, which is not much, it makes no sense to me. You're going to pay a guy not to fight for a year and it's already been like 18 months, he's fought three times in the last 3 years...PFL's going to pay this guy to train for a boxing match that may not even happen and that they might not even be involved in. How does that make any sense?"
Catch White's comments below:
White also repeatedly claimed that Francis Ngannou wanted to take 'zero risks', alluding to a much anticipated clash against Jon Jones that never came to fruition. The UFC president further stated that 'The Predator' would have suffered the same fate as Ciryl Gane against Jones.
Francis Ngannou contract: Dana White questions the PFL's business strategy
After being courted by almost every major fight promotion in the world, Francis Ngannou officially signed with the PFL earlier this week, joining their nascent Super Fight division. As part of his the contract, 'The Predator' will also become the chairman of PFL Africa and the only active fighter to be a part of their Global Athlete Advisory Board.
Alongwith this, the PFL is also rumored to be plotting a takeover of Bellator. According to Dana White, the league is looking to raise around $300 million from the Middle East for the same. However, the UFC president finds the idea almost ridiculous. He further said during the UFC Vegas 73 presser:
"I'm hearing that they're raising money right now, $280 million, $300 million from the Middle East... I don't know who in the hell would give them $280 million, I'm hearing they're buying Bellator! So you're an organization that's burning cash, you have no ratings and selling no tickets and you're going to raise $280 million to buy a company that's burning cash, sells no tickets and does no ratings. It sounds f**ing absolutely genius to me!”
