With Francis Ngannou’s MMA future once again uncertain, Dana White made it clear that a UFC reunion — including a long-discussed fight with Jon Jones — isn’t something he wants to entertain.
Francis Ngannou may once again be available, but Dana White has no interest in bringing “The Predator” back to the UFC.
Questions surrounding a potential reunion have resurfaced following Ngannou’s departure from the PFL and his return to MMA competition. With the UFC heavyweight division facing uncertainty of its own, the possibility of finally putting Ngannou across the cage from Jon Jones was raised directly to White.
His response left little room for optimism.
Appearing on Nightcap with NFL legends Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco, White was asked whether there was any chance of Ngannou returning to the UFC for the blockbuster heavyweight matchup.
White didn’t simply dismiss the fight.
He made it personal.
“Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list,” White said, before describing the former UFC heavyweight champion as a “bad guy” and saying he no longer wants to do business with people he views that way.
The comments suggest that whatever commercial appeal a Ngannou return might carry, the UFC CEO’s issues with his former champion remain a much bigger obstacle.
A Split That Never Really Healed
Ngannou’s relationship with the UFC deteriorated publicly before the two sides eventually separated in early 2023.
His final UFC appearance came against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022.
Despite competing with a serious knee injury, Ngannou defeated Gane by unanimous decision to successfully defend the UFC heavyweight championship. It ultimately became the final fight of his UFC contract.
Negotiations continued, but the UFC and Ngannou were unable to agree on a new deal.
Ngannou had made it clear that his concerns extended beyond money. He wanted greater freedom within his contract, including the ability to pursue boxing opportunities, and publicly criticized aspects of the relationship between UFC fighters and the promotion.
White saw the situation very differently.
The UFC boss has repeatedly pushed back against Ngannou’s version of their negotiations and has previously accused the heavyweight of attempting to intimidate both himself and UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell during their dealings.
More than three years later, neither side appears to have softened its position.
Ngannou Found His Boxing Opportunity Without the UFC
Leaving the UFC ultimately allowed Ngannou to pursue one of the opportunities he had wanted most.
Boxing.
In October 2023, Ngannou made his professional boxing debut against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
What initially looked like a massive crossover spectacle became something much more competitive when Ngannou dropped Fury and pushed him to a split decision.
Although Ngannou officially lost, his performance dramatically increased his value in the boxing world.
That led to another major fight against Anthony Joshua in March 2024, where Ngannou was knocked out in the second round.
Those bouts nevertheless demonstrated why contractual freedom had been so important to Ngannou when negotiating his UFC future.
He had left the world’s largest MMA promotion as its reigning heavyweight champion and immediately gained access to some of the biggest financial opportunities of his career.
Another Chapter Outside the UFC
Ngannou eventually continued his MMA career outside the Octagon as well.
After joining the PFL, his future with the promotion became another major part of the heavyweight landscape. More recently, however, Ngannou parted ways with the company.
He subsequently competed at MVP MMA 1, defeating Philipe Lins by knockout, but his agreement was reportedly only for that single appearance.
That leaves the former UFC champion’s next move unclear.
And inevitably, it brought the UFC question back.
Ngannou remains one of the most recognizable heavyweight fighters in combat sports. The UFC remains MMA’s biggest stage. And one matchup has followed both Ngannou and the promotion ever since their separation.
Jon Jones.
The Fight That Got Away
For years, Ngannou versus Jones represented one of the biggest fights the UFC could make.
Jones had been preparing for a move from light heavyweight to heavyweight while Ngannou sat atop the division.
The timing never worked.
By the time Jones finally made his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023, Ngannou was already gone.
Jones submitted Gane in the opening round to capture the vacant heavyweight championship, creating one of MMA’s biggest unanswered questions.
What would have happened if Jones had fought Ngannou?
That question has never completely disappeared.
Ngannou’s combination of size, knockout power and improving wrestling against Jones’ intelligence, grappling and championship experience remains a compelling stylistic matchup even years after it first became possible.
But if White’s latest comments are any indication, the obstacle isn’t finding a reason to make the fight.
It’s getting the UFC and Ngannou back into business together.
And White currently has no interest in doing that.
UFC’s Heavyweight Picture Remains Complicated
The timing of White’s comments is particularly interesting because the UFC heavyweight division isn’t exactly overflowing with clarity.
Tom Aspinall remains sidelined while awaiting further testing on his eyes, leaving the future of the undisputed heavyweight championship uncertain.
Ciryl Gane currently holds the interim title.
Meanwhile, speculation continues around Alex Pereira and the possibility of another heavyweight opportunity, including discussion of a potential matchup with Gane.
Adding Ngannou back into that picture would instantly create several enormous fights.
Ngannou against Jones remains the obvious attraction.
Ngannou against Aspinall would pit arguably the most dangerous heavyweight of the previous UFC generation against the division’s current standard-bearer.
A rematch with Gane would carry history.
Even a fight with Pereira would immediately become one of the biggest combat sports events the UFC could promote.
None of that appears to matter to White right now.
The Door Looks Closed
Time has changed almost everything surrounding Ngannou’s original UFC departure.
He got his boxing matches.
The UFC crowned new heavyweight champions.
Jones finally moved to heavyweight.
Ngannou returned to MMA outside the UFC.
And now his future is open again.
What hasn’t changed is the relationship between Ngannou and the UFC.
The two sides have offered dramatically different versions of why their partnership collapsed, and White’s latest comments suggest the disagreement has gone well beyond contracts, purses or matchmaking.
For White, it appears to have become a question of whether he wants to work with Ngannou at all.
Right now, the answer is no.
That makes the dream of finally seeing Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones share an Octagon look as distant as ever.
The fight may still make sense.
The business relationship doesn’t.
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