Ariel Helwani slams Dana White's 'bulls**t way of framing' Francis Ngannou's activity inside the octagon before leaving UFC
Ariel Helwani sounded off on Dana White's comments following UFC Vegas 73 regarding Francis Ngannou joining the PFL and how he framed the narrative to downplay the signing.
During an episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani took aim at White for the comments he made during his post-event press conference this past weekend. He mentioned that the UFC president framed the narrative in a way that Ngannou isn't an active fighter to disrespect the former heavyweight champion and the PFL.
He said:
"Between February of 2019 and January of 2022, which is three years, he fought five times. Now he hasn't fought in 18 months because he's coming off ACL surgery and was a free agent and had to deal with all that. So to frame that he hasn't fought, he fights once every year...is a bullsh*t way of framing all of this."
The MMA Hour host then brought up that White kept noting that 'The Predator' was released, when he actually fought out his UFC contract and declined their offer when negotiating a new deal. Helwani doubled down on his criticism of White after the UFC president claimed Ngannou is afraid of taking risks, saying:
"Like, literally, that guy [Francis Ngannou] put his life on the line multiple times, was put in detention centers multiple times, had to jump off rafts, had to swim...had to live homeless. That guy doesn't wanna take risks? What are we talking about now? This has become so ridiculous."
Thread
Ariel Helwani reacts to Dana White's comments from the UFC Vegas 73 Post Fight Press Conference https://t.co/Z1rwBiM0cI
This likely won't be the final time that White is asked about the PFL or Ngannou as his name will definitely come up again whenever the Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight is booked.
Ariel Helwani addresses Dana White's claims regarding PFL receiving investment from the Middle East
Ariel Helwani addressed Dana White's claims regarding the PFL receiving investment from the Middle East after the UFC president questioned why somebody would help fund their promotion.
During the aforementioned episode, Helwani continued to share his thoughts on the claims made by White during his UFC Vegas 73 post-event press conference. Among those claims pertained to the PFL receiving funding from the Middle East and their rumored interest in purchasing Bellator.
The Canadian MMA journalist mentioned that there was interest to purchase Bellator. But the PFL is no longer a front-runner and it's not necessarily a bad thing to receive funding.
"The investment from the Middle East, that is true as well and that is close. How is that a sign that they don't know what they're doing? In fact, if there is someone out there that is willing to pay them $300 million, that means that there's people out there that believe in them." [15:04 - 15:15]