Chael Sonnen shares unique take on Dana White/Francis Ngannou alleged physical confrontation at the height of UFC beef

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen had a similar run-in with Francis Ngannou that UFC CEO Dana White recently alleged.

Despite being two years removed from their nasty split, UFC CEO Dana White and former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou remain at odds.

White and Ngannou’s beef spans almost a full decade, as the two UFC personalities had a tumultuous relationship throughout the latter’s promotional tenure. Things hit a breaking point in early 2023, when Ngannou split from the promotion after a long contract dispute with White and the rest of the UFC brass.

In recent weeks, White and Ngannou’s feud wrote a new chapter after White accused Ngannou of getting physical with him during a heated meeting at the UFC Performance Institute during the latter years of his time in the promotion. According to White, Ngannou was angry that he didn’t earn a $50,000 post-fight bonus after one of his bouts, which led to a tense confrontation between them.

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen, who has had his own differences with Ngannou in recent years, can relate to White’s claims.

Chael Sonnen says Francis Ngannou uses his intimidating presence to his advantage

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sonnen provided a unique take on White’s allegations about a past confrontation with Ngannou.

“I heard that story for years that Francis made contact, not with Dana, but I knew that he did with Hunter. I didn’t believe the story. I never talked about it because I never believed it… I thought they would have fired him right on the spot,” Sonnen began on Ngannou.

“I told you about my altercation with Francis… I only bring that up because Francis didn’t really do anything. I mean, he turned around and he raised his voice, but that was the same thing I was doing. I’m just not as frightening-looking as Francis.

“I don’t think we can hold against Francis that he happens to be a really frightening-looking person. I think that Francis’s actions, for the most part, are probably in line with what a lot of other people would do,” Sonnen continued. “But maybe he gets a little bit harsher criticism because he would go into the category of terrifying.”

Ngannou hasn’t fought in MMA since defeating former PFL heavyweight titleholder Renan Ferreira last year.