Dana White labeled UFC 226 heavyweight fight 'an abomination' when two KO specialists clashed
03/19/2025 12:55 PM
UFC 226 is usually remembered for all of the right reasons, however, it included one of the most boring fights of all time between Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis.
In the UFC 226 main event, Daniel Cormier dethroned Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight super fight to become a UFC double champion, joining the likes of Conor McGregor and Amanda Nunes.
One of the main talking points of the event was when Cormier clashed with Brock Lesnar following the fight, as the promotion attempted to set up Lesnar’s comeback to the UFC.
However, the co-main event included what was set to be a magnificent heavyweight clash between previous title contender, Francis Ngannou and knockout artist, Derrick Lewis.
Dana White called Ngannou vs Lewis ‘an abomination’ after shock fight
After the two heavyweight contenders clashed at the ceremonial weigh-ins just a day before fight night, fans thought they were in for a spectacle.
Not only that but ‘The Predator’ had already made a name for himself as one of the most terrifying punchers in the sport after almost taking Alistair Overeem’s head off with a one-punch knockout, and Lewis was well on his way to becoming the record holder for the most knockout wins in UFC history.
Ngannou was coming in off the back of his unsuccessful title challenge against Miocic and was hoping to remind the fans of his threat.
Despite that, he and Lewis went on to fight in one of the worst fights in the promotion’s history, with Ngannou only landing 11 strikes all fight and ‘The Black Beast’ only landing 20.
Lewis was awarded the win as fans in attendance at the T-Mobile Arena booed the two heavyweights out of the Octagon.
That reaction was shared by UFC boss, Dana White, who went on to label the fight as ‘an abomination’, despite Ngannou claiming he ‘carried fear’ from his fight against Miocic into his fight against Lewis.
“Forget the abomination of the heavyweight fight that happened,” White began the UFC 226 post-fight press conference.
“It was horrible, I think (Ngannou) had a pretty big rise here and obviously the fight against Alistair Overeem catapulted him… I think his ego ran away with him, big time, I can tell you that his ego absolutely did run away with him… This guy’s ego was so out of control… Ego is what hurt Francis Ngannou,” White continued.
Dana White considered cutting Francis Ngannou following UFC 226
The relationship between White and Ngannou seemingly fell to pieces from that point on, subsequently leading to Ngannou’s exit from the UFC in 2023.
Since then, White and Ngannou have clashed several times in the media with the UFC boss even claiming that Ngannou ‘owes me money’.
Years after UFC 226 and following ‘The Predator’s’ exit, White revealed that he considered cutting Ngannou after his lackluster performance against Lewis.
“I was gonna cut Francis when he lost two (fights) in a row, I was gonna cut him. Someone around here begged me not to do it,” White admitted a few years later at a Power Slap press conference.
