Former ESPN broadcaster Dan Le Batard is re-igniting his feud with UFC president Dana White in light of his recent Francis Ngannou comments.
When asked about Ngannou’s future with the UFC, White seemed indifferent by some in regards to contract talks with the heavyweight champion. Ngannou is fighting on the last bout of his deal against Ciryl Gane at the upcoming UFC 270 pay-per-view.
This raised eyebrows around the MMA community, as it would be quite a surprise in the new year if the UFC doesn’t re-sign Ngannou. After getting word of White’s comments, Le Batard took the opportunity to criticize the UFC headman.
“The courageous are too disposable when you’ve gone this corporate, everyone from the broke to the best,” Le Batard said in a tweet. “Like many of its combatants, this gritty sport rose from nothing as an underdog. But you’ve become what you pretend to abhor, [Dana White]. You are The Establishment now.”
Dana White And Dan Le Batard Have Went At It In The Past
This isn’t the first time that Le Batard and White have traded barbs. In a 2020 interview, Le Batard grilled White on a variety of UFC-related topics, including fighter pay and the business model of the promotion as a whole. This led to both sides getting pretty fired up by the end of the conversation, and White agreeing to a charity fight with Le Batard.
The fight never came to fruition, but White and Le Batard have continued to raise tensions between them.
It’s unclear if the UFC will ultimately agree to a new deal with Ngannou, but that hasn’t stopped various pundits from aiming at White the UFC brass for how they’ve handled negotiations with the company’s biggest stars.
Do you agree with Dan Le Batard’s comments about Dana White?
