Kamaru Usman has spoken up for Francis Ngannou following recent comments from Dana White.
Francis Ngannou’s departure from the UFC in 2023 stunned the MMA world, especially since he left while still holding the heavyweight title.
It became clear fairly quickly that his relationship with Dana White had fallen apart, and even now, their issues seem far from resolved.
White has maintained that Ngannou was to blame for a fight with Jon Jones falling through, claiming the Cameroonian asked for an unreasonable amount of money.
Kamaru Usman speaks out in support of Francis Ngannou amid Dana White’s recent claims
During Ngannou’s time at the top of the heavyweight division, he formed a close friendship with Kamaru Usman, who was dominating welterweight at the same time.
That friendship is why Usman has stepped in to defend ‘The Predator’ following fresh claims made by UFC president Dana White.
Earlier this week, White alleged that Ngannou put his hands on him during a heated exchange after missing out on a $50,000 bonus.
A former UFC employee later backed up White’s story, calling the Cameroonian a ‘terror’ because of how he behaved towards staff members.
But Usman is not convinced by those accounts and spoke about it on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast.
“Listen, I wasn’t there, but I don’t think this happened like this. All I’m saying is, it’s hard to believe (that he would push Dana White), ‘Get back in your office Dana, get out your cheque book and give me $50k’,” he began by saying.
“That’s the picture we’re really seeing in our heads here, it’s hard to believe that because it’s Dana White here. Just like there’s this aura around Francis, to where you just know, ‘Okay, I can’t f— around here’, he has that aura.
“But in just that sentence because Francis is a fighter and he has that scary aura Dana White has a different aura as well because Dana White’s the head of the UFC, Dana White’s this guy. I find it a little hard to believe, and I’m not saying it’s false, but it might not have went down like (Dana said).”
Usman could be on track to fight for the title again
Usman’s decision to stand by his friend Ngannou, even if it meant risking his own relationship with the UFC, drew a lot of attention from fans.
That support came at a time when ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was looking strong and potentially in line for another shot at the welterweight title.
He was a possible challenger following Islam Makhachev’s title win at UFC 322, but nothing has been confirmed yet regarding when or if that opportunity will come.
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