Chael Sonnen argues why Dana White's reluctance to let UFC fighters box is the right call despite the success of Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou

Chael Sonnen recently shared his two cents on Dana White not allowing UFC fighters to compete in boxing matches while under contract. 'The American Gangster' opined that the UFC CEO is right to deny his contracted athletes and used the recent Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury fight to explain his point.

Ngannou made his highly anticipated boxing debut against the WBC heavyweight champion last weekend in Riyadh. While the former UFC heavyweight champion lost the fight via a razor-sharp split decision, his incredible performance won the hearts of many within the combat sports community.

Francis Ngannou was also widely praised for proving his doubters wrong, especially those who criticized him for exiting the UFC earlier this year to pursue boxing. Dana White was among the most notable critics of Ngannou and dismissed his chances of finding success on several occasions.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen broke down why Dana White was right about not letting his fighters box outside the UFC. Slamming the popular media narratives about how White should learn a lesson from the Fury-Ngannou fight, Sonnen stated:

"I'm confused by the narrative that would insinuate hopefully Dana has learned his lesson... How and why? Why do you think he would want to switch seats and want to be the guy who lost a small fortune on this? I'm confused by that. What is it about a guy under contract, regardless of how competitive a match was, who loses, who you think would be more valuable."

For context, Sonnen had previously stated that the Fury-Ngannou fight bombed as far as PPV buys were concerned and didn't make much money.

Catch Sonnen's comments below (9:11):

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Francis Ngannou doesn't care what Dana White has to say about Tyson Fury fight

Francis Ngannou recently claimed that he didn't care much about what Dana White had to say about his recent boxing debut against Tyson Fury. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion would like to know how the UFC CEO feels about seeing him secure the biggest payday of his career.

As mentioned, there's no love lost between Ngannou and White. The Cameroonian notably left the UFC after he was denied permission to pursue boxing. White later accused Ngannou of ducking Jon Jones and wrote off his boxing plans as "gimmick" fights.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Ngannou was asked if he wanted to know what White thought of his awe-inspiring performance. He replied:

"Who cares? Dana White feels like he feels. Personally, I feel great. I think you have to send him an invite so you can ask him. I would like to know, too."