“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, but maybe he gets a little bit harsher criticism because he would go into the category of terrifying.”

– via Youtube further reflecting on his own past "altercation" with Francis Ngannou, suggesting that the fighter's imposing appearance might cause people to perceive his normal reactions as more aggressive or intimidating than they actually are.

“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 didn't believe it because i thought they would have fired him right on the spot”

– via an interview with Ariel Helwani, discussing the long—standing rumors that Francis Ngannou physically confronted UFC executive Hunter Campbell, admitting he initially dismissed the stories as unlikely because of the severity of the consequences.

“If you turn down fights you don't think are hard, it doesn't make you a noble man, it makes you unemployed. You're a prize fighter, there's a prize and you're insulted? You turned down the challenge, you lose”

– reacted to Francis Ngannou for declining a fight offer against Jake Paul