Former UFC fighter joins Francis Ngannou in harshly criticizing Dana White: 'Slanderer'

Dana White is president of the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

Francis Ngannou is not alone in his 'crusade' against Dana White and the UFC. Days after the president of the Ultimate made strong accusations against the character of the heavyweight, now PFL champion, another fighter with experience in the biggest MMA event in the world decided to speak out against the former 'boss'.

In a recent edition of the podcast 'Funky and the Champ', with Daniel Cormier, former UFC welterweight Ben Askren, who before arriving at the Ultimate in 2019, was champion in Bellator and ONE, referred to Dana White as a 'slanderer'.

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“Dana spent years lying to me, saying that I didn’t want to face the best, that I didn’t want a challenge, that I was running away. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It was a s*** to have this guy, essentially a slanderer, saying things about me that I knew weren’t true. I think because I kept having success and people kept following me, he wanted me to stay in a dark hole where everyone ignored me. He did the same with me.” Chris Cyborg, I think with Randy Couture too and now with Francis Ngannou. When he doesn't get what he wants, he starts talking bad about people. Because he has a big microphone and is usually very sincere and correct, people believe him,” the former fighter said.

Dominant in Bellator between 2010 and 2013, Ben Askren tested the market at the end of his contract. The American, who claims not to have received any official proposal from the UFC, ended up signing with ONE Championship and becoming the target of much criticism from Dana White until finally joining the Ultimate in 2019, at the end of his career.

“I wanted to fight the best in 2013 and anytime after that. He came for me in 2019 when I probably should have had hip surgery before that. But I thought it was my opportunity and I couldn’t waste it. I didn’t care if I wasn’t at my best where I needed to be. I had an opportunity, I took it and I’m not going to complain about it. But yeah, I would have loved to have had that opportunity in 2013,” he said.