Dana White claims Francis Ngannou will never return to the UFC: ‘We negotiated with him for years’

According to UFC President Dana White, former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will never enter the octagon as an active UFC fighter again. White closed the door on Ngannou’s future return by speaking to media representatives after UFC 285 weigh-in on Friday.

Ngannou officially became a free agent in January when he and the UFC failed to agree on a new contract after his previous contract expired in December. Ngannou had previously been open about his dissatisfaction with his battle purses, leading to increasingly violent disputes between the parties.

“No. We have been negotiating with him for years,” White said when asked if Ngannou could return. “It’s all over, it’s all over. He will never be in the UFC again… I never say never, but this time I give you never. We tried”.

Ngannou left the UFC on a six-fight winning streak to become the heavyweight champion. In his last UFC fight, Ngannou defeated Cyril Gein by decision.

Gain will now take on former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the vacant title at UFC 285 on Saturday.

White has a history of not making big statements, including when he declared that women would never fight in the UFC. Valentina Shevchenko defended her women’s flyweight title for the eighth time in Saturday’s co-main event.

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