UFC CEO Dana White went on an epic rant targeting the Professional Fighters League and their Super Fights heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, on Thursday following a Power Slap event in Abu Dhabi.
While on the surface and in intent, White may have power-slapped the No. 2 MMA organization in the world, a deeper look at what White said, the things he said years ago, his changes in approach, and some of his recent campaigns proves a few things.
Most importantly, the PFL is on his radar. Here is a look at the rant.
White is among the most influential, charismatic, and gifted promoters we’ve ever seen in sports and entertainment. He always aims to be one step ahead of his competition. That said, fans must be careful not to take everything anyone in combat sports says as law, no matter how persuasive they may be with their delivery.
Remember, PFL owner Donn Davis similarly took aim at Kayla Harrison when she left the PFL for the UFC. Davis called Harrison out, saying she “ran from” fights with Larissa Pacheco and Cris Cyborg. Most believe Harrison came to the UFC because she saw it as a challenge and a way to build her legacy, not because she was afraid of anyone.
The numbers White shared during his rant are factual.
The PFL’s social media footprint does not compare to the UFC or even Power Slap at the moment, though I’d contend their model is more sustainable than the latter. I wonder how long people will be entertained by the most simplistic combat sport in the world, but I digress.
White is also right that most of the top fighters in the PFL or Bellator would probably jump at the chance to compete in the UFC. Many of them have already tried or had stints with White’s organization. White’s theory is supported by Harrison’s recent jump to the UFC and Usman Nurmagomedov’s plan to make the leap in two years.
Michael Chandler, Will Brooks, Michael Venom Page, and Alexander Volkov all leaped from the secondary organizations to the UFC. I interviewed Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in September and asked him if he thought his No. 7 ranking on Fight Matrix was fair.
He said, “Yes, I think it’s pretty accurate because it’s based on who you fight. I just don’t have the opportunity to fight certain people.”
If he were in the UFC, that wouldn’t be the case. We’re kidding ourselves if we suggest that the talent in the PFL is comparable to that of the UFC.
While some men and women in the PFL could compete and even contend for titles in the UFC, the depth isn’t there. The PFL has five men’s weight classes and one women’s division compared to 8 men’s and three women’s in the UFC.
That said, White has never gone out of his way to pull numbers on a competitor like he did against the PFL and Ngannou. While the data was valid, the fact that White deemed it necessary to stomp out the PFL could serve as validation.
Ignoring something or someone’s existence is the most significant form of disrespect. White used to ignore the PFL, but he isn’t anymore, and Ngannou appears to be the biggest factor.
Losing Ngannou seems to have stung far more than White or anyone associated with the UFC was willing to admit.
We’ve seen a few other UFC fighters leave for PFL or Bellator, such as Derek Brunson, Rory MacDonald, Anthony Pettis, Impa Kasanganay, Ryan Bader, Yoel Romero, and Corey Anderson.
Some of them have had success outside of the UFC. Kasanganay, Bader, and Anderson rose to be champions, but Ngannou is the only fighter to leave in his prime, sign a handsome deal, and maintain his status in the sport with a victory in MMA after leaving.
Ngannou’s departure, two boxing fights, personal tragedy, and triumphant return to MMA are among the biggest stories in combat sports over the past year, and the UFC’s only part in that story is as the organization that lost the bidding war.
The UFC rarely loses, but it did this time, and Ngannou’s win over Renan Ferreira served as a fresh reminder. Ngannou is the only champion in MMA who can make a strong argument that he is the best in the world in his weight class and who is not on the UFC’s roster.
Had Ferreira defeated Ngannou, there would have been an opportunity for the UFC to pluck the 6-foot-8 Brazilian away from the PFL sometime down the road. It’s tough to say never with anything in life, but Ngannou will probably never fight for the UFC again. That means that as long as he is the PFL champion, the lineal title will run through him, not the UFC.
White has had a massive shift in his tone when discussing the UFC’s current heavyweight champion, Jon Jones and Ngannou. MMA social media personality AFeldman posted two clips of White discussing the MMA icons. One part is from 2021, after Ngannou destroyed Stipe Miocic to become UFC champion, and the other is from October 24 at the Power Slap event.
It’s clear to see how White’s tone has changed.
One of the most significant topics of conversation within the UFC community this year has been White’s insistence that Jones is the pound-for-pound champion over Islam Makhachev. I agree with White that Jones is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, but I concur with most in the media who suspend him from pound-for-pound consideration because of his inactivity.
If he defeats Miocic convincingly on November 16, he shoots right back to the top of my list.
That said, why was it suddenly so important to elevate Jones and to celebrate him so vehemently? Is it crazy to think that White’s bullishness on Jones was designed to dilute Ngannou’s presence as the king of heavyweight MMA?
Is this why, for more than a year, Ngannou’s name and accomplishments were scrubbed from the UFC broadcast until Israel Adesanya asked for his friend to be recognized again?
We can’t know for sure, but in MMA, none of it is a crazy thought.
If it’s a part of the UFC’s damage control plans, no matter how you feel about the tactics, it’s another example of White’s genius as a promoter and his relentlessness as a competitor.
The PFL has a long way to go before it can realistically compete with the UFC. It may never be equal, but at the very least, Ngannou, Davis, and Co. have White’s attention.
