Dana White, CEO and President of Ultimate Fighting Championship (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI/… [+] AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP (via Getty Images)
If UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones was hoping for a dream match against PFL Superfight Champion Francis Ngannou, Dana White dealt a fatal blow to that concept.
White has made it clear in his recent anti-PFL and anti-Ngannou rant that he does not like the former UFC heavyweight champion and believes the feeling is mutual.
“No,” White said at the UFC 308 post-event press conference, when asked by reporters about his desire to cut Ngannou after his loss to Derrick Lewis in July 2018, saying that Francis, as a human being, He said he didn’t like the business because his sons told him he was misunderstood, so when someone shows you who they really are, believe it. It wasn’t about being the heavyweight champion. Francis is not a good guy. He plays the good guy, so he seems like a nice guy, like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t understand the words,” but he’s really not. After all, he was not the kind of guy I would want to do business with. ”
The reporter went on to ask about the possibility of a Ngannou vs. Jones fight.
“We will never do business together,” White replied before the reporter finished his question. “I mean, you can say, we don’t like each other.”
Click here for the full post-event press conference. The part about Ngannou starts at 9:50.
It’s a little scary how fragile a fighter’s future in the UFC can be for a fighter who isn’t liked by White or the UFC establishment.
Ngannou suffered some tough matches, losing to then-champion Stipe Miocic and then losing to Lewis in a bad fight. Ngannou didn’t look like the guy to be cut at any point.
There’s no logical reason for Ngannou to be fired if Tony Ferguson is still on the roster despite losing seven games in a row and his skills have significantly diminished. It seems unfair to simply say that you don’t like the man. Either way, the possibility of Jones vs. Ngannou appears to be gone, at least not in the near term. Jones, 37, has already hinted at retirement.
The fight and payday associated with the 38-year-old Ngannou will likely motivate Jones. However, it is unclear how many fights Jones will fight under his current contract with the UFC. Although he is old enough to choose to take a huge salary from the PFL, he will likely benefit from the financial impact of Saudi Arabia’s support to facilitate the fight.
This is the one fight that the PFL wants and the UFC doesn’t want. But it wouldn’t have the same impact if Jones wasn’t released by the UFC in time for a fight that’s important to fans.
This is a combat sport, so I can’t say never, but it seems safe to say that a Jones vs. Ngannou fight will never happen at the height of its importance.
