Francis Ngannou

The personal dispute with Dana White continued following Ngannou's departure. In September 2026, White described him as a 'bad guy' and said he no longer wanted to do business with him; Ngannou replied that he had spent years and money on lawyers to secure his departure from the UFC and portrayed that freedom as an irreversible defeat for White.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The motorcycle ridden by Ngannou was involved in a collision with a young woman in Yaoundé. Ngannou transported her to hospital and said he supported her family; she subsequently died. Early credible reports indicated that an investigation was ongoing and that the exact circumstances had not yet been established.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Ngannou rejected a new contract offered by the UFC and left the organisation as heavyweight champion. He explained that he had sought greater freedom to box, less restrictive clauses and collective improvements such as health insurance and sponsorship rights. Dana White claimed that the UFC had offered him a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the organisation's history.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following his departure from MMA Factory, Francis Ngannou and Fernand Lopez developed a longstanding public dispute over the reasons for their split, money, loyalty and how certain sparring sessions were shown to the public. In 2022, Lopez notably disputed Ngannou's allegation that training footage with Ciryl Gane had been manipulated.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated