"Dana has zero to overshadow this news" - Francis Ngannou's new 'GIMIK' promotion for Tyson Fury fight triggers Dana White troll army
Francis Ngannou finally got the kind of fight he left the UFC for. The former UFC heavyweight champion is set to fight Tyson Fury in a professional boxing fight on October 28, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou confirmed the news on his Twitter handle and it is still a developing story with new details still coming to light.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani revealed the name of Francis Ngannou’s promotion on his Twitter handle. The name, GIMIK Fight Promotions, appears to be a jab at the UFC and president Dana White, who has often criticized crossover or celebrity fights as ‘gimmicks’ or ‘freak show’.
Please don’t let this announcement distract from the fact that the name of Ngannou’s new fight promotion is …
GIMIK Fight Promotions.
😅
“Please don’t let this announcement distract from the fact that the name of Ngannou’s new fight promotion is … GIMIK Fight Promotions,” Ariel Helwani tweeted.
MMA Twitter burst out after this revelation and here are some of the most hilarious reactions to Francis Ngannou’s promotion’s name.
@afeldMMA tweeted Dana White’s probable reactions to the announcements and posted hilarious graphics:
@arielhelwani Dana White right now vs Dana White in a few hours twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/2HhKqREOJ1
"Dana White right now vs Dana White in a few hours," @afeldMMA wrote.
@myrksitymma came straight to the point and wrote:
“Francis Ngannou naming his promotional company “GIMIK Fight Promotions” is the biggest and shadiest “f**k you” to Dana White that I have ever seen “We don’t do gimmick fights over here”
@DanaExotic joked that Dana White will probably announce Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg in response and tweeted:
@arielhelwani Dana will announce this fight today. Set for November…. 2027 😂❤️ https://t.co/vAX7QKXQrL
@jimyleebillybo thinks that the fight shows the sorry state of affairs in the boxing world and wrote:
“So the Champ dont fight usyk but Fights instead ngannou in his boxing debut? Boxing Back in the days was different.”
“Incoming Dana with a UFC announcement soon lol,” @KMA1009 tweeted.
“Ngannou is a legend for this,” @hesu_krypto replied.
“Ahh what a beautiful day to hate Dana,” @RudyHachimama commented.
“Dana about to announce Ronda (Rousey’s) return,” @Lousassole34 commented.
“Rubbing salt on the wound … DW is destroy all the walls in his home with his giant oversized HGH head,” @DigitalNmd2022 wrote.
“Dana is about to announce the craziest fight possible lmao. Either Musk and Zuck or Conor fight news imminent,” @AvgMMAFanSam commented.
"Dana has zero to overshadow this news. RIP," KodaifilA commented.
Is Tyson Fury's heavyweight title on the line for the Francis Ngannou fight?
Francis Ngannou has been involved in a long-drawn battle with the UFC and Dana White for contractual freedom to compete outside the UFC umbrella. However, the UFC is not keen on cross-promotional fights. The feud eventually resulted in Ngannou's departure from the UFC earlier this year.
Months after signing a new contract with PFL, Francis Ngannou has secured the crossover fight against Tyson Fury, that he has been pitching for a very long time. Fury is the reigning WBC heavyweight champion. As of now, it is not confirmed if Tyson Fury's heavyweight title will be on the line for this fight. However, it is certain that the fight will generate huge numbers irrespective of title implications.