Ngannou Fires Back After White Shuts Down UFC Return

Francis Ngannou has fired back at Dana White's latest refusal to discuss a UFC return, posting on X that the promoter needs to accept their split as permanent.

White appeared on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco this week and was asked about a potential heavyweight clash between Ngannou and Jon Jones. The UFC boss ruled out any reconciliation, telling the show Ngannou is on his "Oscar De La Hoya list" of people he won't work with again. "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," White said, per MMA Fighting.

Ngannou Tells White To Accept The Split

Ngannou responded on social media by reminding White of the legal battle that preceded his 2023 departure. "Saying the guy that I spent over three years and a lot of money in law firms building an escape plan to get away from, meanwhile he was doing everything in his power to ensure I was never free," Ngannou wrote, as BJ Penn.com first reported. "You have to take that loss; it is irreversible."

The former heavyweight champion left UFC after defending his title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in early 2022. White has admitted publicly he wanted Ngannou to lose that fight. Ngannou went on to box Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before returning to MMA with a first-round knockout of Philipe Lins at MVP MMA 1 in a one-fight deal. He parted ways with PFL in March.

The heavyweight division remains in flux with Tom Aspinall sidelined awaiting eye testing and Gane holding the interim title. Ngannou's next move in combat sports is unclear.

Photo: United States Senate Democrats / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Original reporting:

• bjpenn.com — Francis Ngannou fires back after Dana White shuts down UFC return: "You have to take that loss" | BJPenn.com
• bjpenn.com — UFC boss Dana White pours cold water on Francis Ngannou return: "He's a bad guy" | BJPenn.com