Ariel Helwani pokes holes in Dana White's claim about almost firing Francis Ngannou: "We've seen them bury people"

Ariel Helwani has questioned the authenticity of Dana White's claims of wanting to fire Francis Ngannou in 2018. Addressing Ngannou's recent PFL debut, White accused him of evading a fight against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

White suggested that "Francis is all about the money," feared denting his brand value with a potential loss against Jones, and departed the UFC though he could've earned more by re-signing.

White referenced the infamous Ngannou-Derrick Lewis fight from July 2018 and claimed that he'd have cut him, but was pleaded not to by other members of the UFC brass. White has often implied his personal connection with Ngannou fell apart due to the latter's attitude before his first fight against Stipe Miocic in Jan. 2018. He recently underscored that 'The Predator' "isn't a good guy."

On The Ariel Helwani Show, host Ariel Helwani, who has his own history with Dana White, addressed the situation. Among some of White's other claims about Ngannou, he dissected the UFC boss' assertion about wanting to fire Ngannou after the Lewis matchup.

Helwani highlighted that the UFC booked Ngannou in headlining or featured spots in subsequent Fight Night or pay-per-view (PPV) cards after the Lewis debacle. He underscored that it's indicative that Dana White didn't really intend to cut Ngannou or else he wouldn't have booked him in such marquee matchups.

Helwani said:

"You'd think that they'd put him in the doghouse, and they'd bury the guy, put him on the prelims, and not push him 'cause the boss wants to cut him. Yeah, he refers to two people that told him to keep Francis around. But you'd think ultimately they'd bury him, right?"

Helwani cited ex-UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski's example from 2008 and said:

"Again, we've seen them bury people. We remember what they did to Andrei Arlovski back in the day when he wanted to test free agency. They had him fight Jake O'Brien on the non-televised prelims ... We've seen this before."

Watch Helwani's assessment below (8:04-12:40):

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Francis Ngannou's post-UFC success

Since departing the UFC in 2023, Francis Ngannou went on to sign with the PFL, as well as take part in boxing matches. He faced arguably the two biggest names in heavyweight boxing, as he took on both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Despite falling short in his debut against Fury, he impressed many with his performance.

Unfortunately for 'The Predator,' his second contest was anything but close. He was brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua, leaving many questioning if he would make a return to boxing.

Following the Joshua fight, Ngannou made a return to MMA, and knocked out Renan Ferreira in his PFL debut this month. It's unclear if his next bout will be a boxing match or an MMA fight, but it's likely that 'The Predator' will make his return to action sometime in the second quarter of 2025.