When Francis Ngannou got his hand raised after defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, Dana White’s absence seemed telling. In the midst of a prolonged contract battle with the promotion, was the UFC president trying to send the ‘Predator’ a message?
For his part, White denied any idea that he had intentionally snubbed the promotion’s heavyweight champion, instead telling fans during an ESPN Q&A that “there was stuff going on backstage” that required his attention at the time.
If that’s his story, however, not everyone seems to be buying it. At the very least, former top-ranked lightweight and Ultimate Fighter finalist Al Iaquinta appears to feel that a better explanation than ‘stuff’ may be required.