Dana White Shuts Down Ngannou Return for White House MMA Fight

That’s a firm no for “The Predator.” While numerous rumors reported a possible return of Francis Ngannou for a fight against Jon Jones at the UFC Maison Blanche on June 14, the boss of the organization Dana White completely closed the door to a comeback for the heavyweight champion.

“There was nothing that made me happier than throwing this guy in the fucking PFL (American Mixed Martial Arts League, Editor’s note), he assured, interviewed in a show of the podcast TheMacLife broadcast Thursday. I pity the organization that took him back. If we let fighters go, it is for good reasons. I don’t want to be associated with guys I don’t like and don’t consider good people. »

A very deteriorated relationship

When the organization of the event, planned to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 80th birthday of Donald Trump, was announced, Francis Ngannou, at the end of his contract with the PFL, was excited about the idea of fighting the legend Jon Jones. “The biggest fight in history can only take place between Jon Jones and me,” said the 39-year-old former champion who left the UFC in 2023 to take up boxing.

VideoMMA: suspicions of match-fixing shake the UFC

But the state of his relationship, more than deteriorated with Dana White, whom he had notably called a “tyrant” a few years ago, will have got the better of his presence. The sulphurous American businessman, who for his part had described the Cameroonian as a “dirty guy”, had also accused the fighter of having physically attacked him after his defeat against Stipe Miocic in 2018.

The resentment remains strong between Dana White and Francis Ngannou, who will therefore not make his return to an MMA cage in Washington, more than a year after his last fight and his victory by KO against the Brazilian Renan Ferreira.

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

Leave a Comment