With Jon Jones retired, new undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is going to need a different big name opponent to face if he wants to establish himself as a historic force in the division. Don’t expect it to be Francis Ngannou, though.
Ngannou was UFC heavyweight champion for ten months and defended his belt once before becoming a free agent and walking away from the promotion. He’d go on to win the PFL’s heavyweight title with ease and fight in two big-money boxing bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He’s a bigger star than ever, but that doesn’t mean UFC CEO Dana White is interested in trying to make a deal with him.
During the UFC Baku post-fight press conference, a reporter cited a debunked story that implied Ngannou was interested in returning to the UFC. He asked if White would be willing to re-sign the African heavyweight.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years about Francis? Francis doesn’t always mean what he says publicly,” White replied. “What he says behind the scenes are different than what he says publicly. I’m not a big fan. I would be shocked if Francis ever came back here on lots of different levels.”
“I’m not a fan, and he doesn’t always mean what he says publicly,” he concluded.
Ngannou was quick to fire back on X (formerly Twitter), writing “Did I say I’m ever coming back?”
When one fan replied that he needed to ‘come on back and get your belt,’ Ngannou replied “I don’t remember losing it, mate. It’s still in my closet.”
Did I say I’m ever coming back?
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) June 22, 2025
Everyone would love it if White and Ngannou were able to work together, but that’s not going to happen unless a lot of things suddenly change with how the UFC does business. Ngannou is still angry about how the UFC treated him when he was under contract with them last time. He’s been very vocal about his refusal to sign another one-sided contract with them, and all UFC fighters are expected to sign contracts under near-identical terms.
It’s those rigid and practically endless contracts that give the UFC the ability to keep the majority of fighters that sign with them from ever leaving. Ngannou managed to become an exception by waiting out a five year sunset clause that has since been removed, and White’s dislike of “The Predator” stems from him winning the heavyweight title and then leaving to make nearly $40 million in a year on the free market.
With more $10 million dollar fights on the horizon for Ngannou, we’re not surprised he’s uninterested in working with an anti-fan like White.
