Photo Credit: Courtesy UFC / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images (as credited in original Punch report)
UFC Boss Dana White Shuts Door on Francis Ngannou Return
UFC Chief Executive Officer, Dana White, has made it clear he has no interest in working with former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou again, a stance that appears to end any chance of the Cameroonian fighter returning to the Octagon.

Ngannou left the UFC in January 2023 after a bitter contract dispute with White, which led to him being stripped of his heavyweight title.

The rift between both men came up again on Thursday during White’s appearance on the Nightcap podcast, where he was asked if a superfight between Ngannou and former champion Jon Jones could still be staged.

Responding, White was blunt:
“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,” he said, according to Yahoo News.
After exiting the UFC, Ngannou signed a dual deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) as a fighter and as Chairman of PFL Africa. He fought only once under the banner, beating Renan Ferreira in 2024, before departing the promotion in March 2026.

Since then, the former champion has focused on boxing, taking on former world heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

A UFC comeback has always looked unlikely due to his fractured relationship with White. Meanwhile, Jones, widely considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, has since retired.

White also had strong words of praise for Jones during the same interview:
“Jon Jones is the baddest dude to ever walk the face of the earth. People always bust my balls when I say it, Jon Jones is not just a stone cold killer — That guy’s dark. He’s dark.”
Source: Punch Newspapers