Rumors of a massive cross-promotional superfight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou have been swirling once again, but Dana White seems completely done with the Cameroonian fighter.
Though “Bones” recently floated the idea of working outside his normal boundaries to make the fight a reality, White’s blunt reply on the fantasy bout leaves no doubt about where the promotion stands.
Dana White’s Blunt Rejection of Francis Ngannou
Jones recently posted on social media that fighting Ngannou in an organization like BKFC or Gamebred Bareknuckle remains a dream fight. Jones acknowledged that a cross-promotional deal is the only way the bout could ever happen.
Their rivalry stems from a long-running debate over who is the true heavyweight king. They frequently trade jabs online, each accusing the other of dodging the fight before Ngannou left the UFC in 2023. Currently, Ngannou divides his time between headlining PFL MMA events and taking lucrative crossover boxing matches, meaning both stars have kept their rivalry alive despite being in entirely different positions
Shannon Sharpe put the question to White directly, asking if a fight between Jones and Ngannou could ever happen. White wasted no time putting Ngannou in the same category as his longest-running rival.
“Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list,” White said, making it clear this wasn’t about one fight but about ever doing business with Ngannou again.
“Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he’s been with. He’s a bad guy, man. He’s a bad guy, and I am at a point in my life where I don’t want to do business with bad guys,” White added.
Right now, Jones is spending his time coaching Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson’s transition into MMA. As long as Jones remains under contract with the promotion, a crossover fight with Francis Ngannou will never happen due to the deep bad blood between White and the former champion.
Why Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou Superfight Stalled
Ngannou fought his last UFC bout in 2022, beating Ciryl Gane to defend his heavyweight title, but officially parted ways with the promotion in January 2023 after turning down renewal offers he called one-sided. He reportedly demanded things like health insurance and the freedom to sign independent sponsorships
The UFC responded by waiving its exclusive negotiating window and publicly branding him difficult to work with. Ngannou later revealed that Dana White spent three years doing everything possible to block his escape plan. However, he successfully competed in two massive crossover boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua after his UFC exit before returning to MMA.
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He knocked out Renan Ferreira in his lone PFL appearance and recently delivered a spectacular first-round knockout over Philipe Lins at MVP MMA 1 on Netflix, cementing his status as the premier heavyweight draw outside the UFC.
Jones, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since defeating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Ngannou remains one of the few marquee names still available to him, but Jones has admitted the fight will likely only happen outside the UFC. Drawing a clear, personal line, the UFC boss has also made it clear that inside the UFC, this fight is entirely off the table.
