Francis Ngannou’s rumoured return to the UFC was recently downplayed by Dana White, who also declared that the organisation would no longer speak with “The Predator” in the future.
Ngannou unexpectedly quit the UFC earlier this year while still holding the heavyweight title. The Cameroonian was relieved of his title and cited differences over contract renegotiation terms as the cause of his departure. In place of Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, the vacant heavyweight title will now be decided at UFC 285 by Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.
At the UFC 285 ceremonial weigh-ins, Dana White addressed the media ahead of this weekend’s pay-per-view event and discussed the prospect of Ngannou rejoining the organisation.
White said the following in an interview published by BT Sport:
“No, no. We spent years negotiating with him. That’s finished; it’s ended. He won’t ever compete in the UFC again. Yes, I’ll never say never, but in this case, I’ll say never. In an effort,
Francis Ngannou is currently unsigned and looking to fight a well-known boxer like Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. Although he has previously said that he could return to MMA, it would seem that Ngannou is no longer considering the UFC.
UFC 285: Francis Ngannou predicts the outcome of Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane
In UFC 285, Jon Jones will compete for the heavyweight championship in his much awaited heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane. Although Francis Ngannou was previously scheduled to face “Bones” in his comeback, “The Predator” suddenly quit the promotion owing to harsh contract renewal terms.
The 35-year-old American will now compete against the top-ranked heavyweight contender, and Ngannou thinks the result of this title fight will rely on Jones’ performance.
Francis Ngannou made the following prediction for the main event of the next pay-per-view in an interview with “The Schmo”:
“Depending on the Jon Jones who will be there. This contest might end with a Knockout if Jones comes up. He’s going to wrestle with [Gane] and apply some ground and pound, in my opinion. But if Jon Jones fights defensively, it might go the distance. Because they will both be defensive fighters in such case. Then it can last a long time.”
The main event of UFC 285 will feature Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso competing for the women’s flyweight title as the co-main event.