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The relationship between UFC President, Dana White, and former heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, has been strained for some time now. Recently, White closed the door on Ngannou's return to the promotion, stating that he will never fight in the UFC again.
This decision is not surprising, considering the termination of their contract
.Jones Crowns Himself the Heavyweight King
After Jon Jones' recent victory over Cyril Gane, he took the opportunity to call out Ngannou in a sarcastic manner, congratulating him on his own victory and crowning himself the "heavyweight king." White spoke out about the potential match-up last night, stating that Jones would defeat Ngannou in the same manner as he did Gane.
White's Take on the Proposed Fight
“I’m not interested (in that fight),” White said. “I tried making that fight for two years. He didn’t want the fight. Do you know what I mean? He didn’t want the fight.
He left here without even having another deal in place. And I know how the boxing world is. It’s crazy. But Francis didn’t want to do it”. White went on to express his disappointment in Ngannou's lack of interest in the proposed fight. “I tried to make that fight for two years, and let me tell you what.
I think a lot of other people feel this way. I think that’s exactly the way the fight would’ve gone if (Ngannou) was in there, too. Him and Ciryl had a five-round war (at UFC 270 in January 2022). If Ciryl doesn’t go for that submission, Ciryl probably wins that fight at the end of the fifth round there”.
Although MMA fans may have wanted to see a Jones vs Ngannou match-up, it is becoming increasingly unlikely. Ngannou will never set foot in the UFC cage again, while Jones has signed a contract for eight fights over several years.
The concept of MMA math may not always hold true, but it is understandable why White is expressing his thoughts on the matter.