Dana White has ruled out a Francis Ngannou return, and he did not soften it.
Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023 after defending the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in the last fight of his deal. He went to boxing, dropped Tyson Fury before losing a split decision, then lost to Anthony Joshua. He is a free agent again after parting with the PFL this year, having knocked out Philipe Lins inside a round at MVP MMA 1 in May on a one-fight deal.
He called out Jon Jones from the cage that night, with Jones sitting at the broadcast desk. Asked about that fight on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco, White shut it down.
Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list. Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he’s been with. He’s a bad guy and I’m at a point in my life where I just don’t want to do business with bad guys. I just don’t.
The De La Hoya reference is a feud of its own. The list is White’s shorthand for people he will not deal with.
Ngannou’s account of the split is different. He has said the UFC did not treat him with respect and objected to how restricted he was while being classed as an independent contractor. White has claimed Ngannou used intimidation tactics on him and chief business officer Hunter Campbell, which Ngannou has rejected.
Three years on, neither man has moved an inch.
The timing is awkward for the division. Tom Aspinall has not been cleared since the eye pokes at UFC 321 last October, and White said this week that Aspinall is hurt until the UFC hears differently and the division will keep rolling without him. Gane holds the interim title and wants either Aspinall or an Alex Pereira rematch, with Josh Hokit calling out both.
Jones is still under contract with the UFC in any case, which puts the fight Ngannou wants out of reach, whatever White thinks of him.
