UFC heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou earned some criticism for their recent match up at UFC 226. Now UFC President Dana White has come forward with his opinion.
Lewis and Ngannou faced off in the co-main event of UFC 226 on Saturday, ultimately going the distance with less than 30 total strikes having been thrown. Consequently, the largely uneventful bout has drawn the ire of many fight fans.
Speaking at the UFC 226 Post-Fight Press Conference, UFC President Dana White revealed that he believes Francis Ngannou’s ego got in the way of the fighter.
“Big time. I can tell you that his ego absolutely ran did run away with him. The minute that happens to you in the fight game, you start to fall apart. I had some personal encounters with him, as did other people in the organization, and this guy’s ego was so out of control.”
“Ego is what hurt Francis Ngannou.”
Speaking on Derrick Lewis, White added:
“He’s a fun guy – he’s funny. When he gets in there and throws, the fights are exciting. But he always has problems with his back. And that’s going to be a problem. You don’t want to go in there with a bad back against (Daniel) Cormier. But I like him, and I don’t think his stock dropped at all.
White then claimed that the night’s super fight main event between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic likely drew attention away from the co-main event.
“Tonight is the last time he was in a boring fight. The card was so good, people will forget about that. And the heavyweight championship was so good, it was immediately erased from people’s memories.”
