Things have gotten ugly between UFC President Dana White and Francis Ngannou’s team, and it appears the blame is being placed on Hunter Campbell.
White recently announced that an interim UFC Heavyweight Title bout between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane will headline UFC 265 on August 7. The news came as a surprise to many since Ngannou just won the title back in March.
Ariel Helwani took to his Twitter account to claim that while White gets the brunt of the blowback for these decisions, it’s Campbell, the Executive Vice President and the Chief Business Officer of the UFC, who threatens to strip champions regularly (h/t Bloody Elbow).
“Regarding today’s interim news, you’d be shocked how often they threaten this &/or how often they threaten to strip. And while most of the criticism has been directed towards Dana White – he is the face after all – it’s really been the M.O. of Hunter Campbell since he took over.
“For those that don’t know, Campbell is the UFC’s chief business officer. He took over shortly after the sale. He does most, if not all the deals these days. Some love him – he’s a lot more like Lorenzo in that he isn’t emotional – but he also threatens to strip constantly.
“Campbell is the ‘lawyer’ White often refers to. Hardly ever mentions him by name. Not sure why. He’s way more valuable to UFc than just being a lawyer. In fact, I’d argue he’s the third most important person in the company behind Ari and White. Again, he does all the big deals.
“Think of him as the UFC’s general manager if they were a sports team. Yet, he never speaks publicly or has to explain moves like a GM would from time to time. Good gig! Anyway, some enjoy dealing with him but this is right up his alley. It happens way more than fans think.”
White has engaged in a war of words with Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin. Martin said he was surprised with the UFC’s decision to make an interim title fight. White said Martin is “full of sh*t” and suggests Ngannou finds a new management team. Martin fired back, challenging White to air out all the calls, texts, and emails.
