Ngannou rebuffs Dana White’s remarks
Francis Ngannou, the 38-year-old MMA star, made an impressive comeback after two years away from the ring to pursue boxing. He defeated Renan Ferreira, PFL’s heavyweight champion, at the PFL Super Fights event in Abu Dhabi. While the MMA community enthusiastically welcomed Ngannou’s return, UFC President Dana White made controversial comments. At the UFC 308 pre-fight press conference, White mentioned that he had considered releasing Ngannou from his contract before he became a champion and implied that Ngannou was avoiding a fight with Jon Jones, the current UFC heavyweight champion.
Not letting these words go unchallenged, Ngannou spoke up on Sirius XM Fight Nation’s MMA Today program: “I think Dana is trying to regain credibility that he’s lost. Dana lost in this situation and can’t accept it. I left and lived my life, but he’s still clinging to my story,” Ngannou stated. The former champion also mentioned that White owed him money from previous fights and denied the notion that he would have made more money staying in the UFC. On the contrary, Ngannou signed with PFL in May 2023 and gained the freedom to pursue major boxing opportunities, securing up to $20 million from fights with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
The potential for a Jon Jones fight and Saudi Arabia’s involvement
While the UFC may still be dissatisfied with Ngannou’s direction, he remains eager for a fight with Jon Jones—a match the global MMA community has long anticipated. Ngannou stated that both he and Jones have been ready for this fight for years; the only obstacle is Dana White’s hostility. “The only person preventing that fight is Dana White. I want the fight with Jon Jones, and I think Jon does too. But this is about Dana White,” Ngannou said.
Support to make the fight happen could come from the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, who has played a key role in funding Ngannou’s previous boxing matches. If White agrees to broker the fight, this could become one of the biggest matches in MMA history, which Ngannou believes could be stopped only by the UFC President’s ego.
