“You’re an organization burning cash,” Dana White reveals competitors PFL are raising whopping $280 million from Middle East investors
Dana White does not see the reasoning behind the PFL signing Francis Ngannou. He questioned their business strategy at UFC Vegas 73.
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Dana White questions PFL business model (Image Courtesy - MMA Mania/PFL.com)
Dana White and the UFC negotiated a new contract with Francis Ngannou for years. The two parties disagreed on contract terms and conditions, which led Ngannou to leave the company. In May 2023, Ngannou signed a massive contract with the PFL. At UFC Vegas 70, reporters asked Dana White about Ngannou’s PFL deal. White did not hesitate to speak about it.
He said, “What they (PFL) are doing makes no sense to me about their business strategy. I’m hearing that they are raising money right now from the Middle East. I don’t know who in the hell would give them $280 million because I am hearing that they are buying Bellator. So, you are an organization that is burning cash and have no ratings and selling no tickets, and you are going to raise $280 million to buy a company that is burning cash, sells no tickets, and has no ratings?”
Dana White does not think that PFL has a favorable business model to sustain the huge contract of Ngannou. He also questioned why PFL is trying to buy Bellator. However, White said that he does not hold any ill will against Ngannou and the PFL. White even mentioned that Hunter Campbell negotiated the best contract for Ngannou, but he declined.
White will now focus on putting the PPV card for the rest of the year. He has two crucial fights to book. They are Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic and Michael Chandler vs. Conor McGregor. White alluded that these fights might happen in either November or December. White hopes McGregor reenters the USADA testing pool so that they can book a fight for December of this year.
Dana White says Francis Ngannou takes 0 risks
Francis Ngannou left the UFC in 2022 after failing to sign a new contract. He was rumored to be fighting a returning Jon Jones in his second title defense. However, Ngannou left the company as soon as Jones returned. However, Dana White has an interesting theory about it.
White said, “Francis wants to take zero risks, doesn’t want to take any chances, and he obviously didn’t want to take a chance with Jon Jones — and after we saw what happened with Ciryl Gane, I don’t blame him. I think the outcome would’ve been exactly the same, and I’m sure most of you do and I’m sure Francis does too.”
White used the Jones vs. Gane fight to imply that Ngannou would have lost to Jones. Ngannou needed all five rounds to defeat Gane at UFC 270. However, Jones needed less than three minutes to submit Gane at UFC 285. White is not all impressed by Ngannou’s contract or PFL’s business strategy.
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Nidhin Shibu
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