Francis Ngannou has been out of action in UFC for quite some time now. He left the UFC almost a year after defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 to defend his heavyweight title. As per reports, the reason behind his exit was failed negotiations with president Dana White.
Recently, Ngannou who has become a free agent now, revealed that he would mark his return to MMA after trying his hands in boxing. But it seems White has closed the doors on him already. Just ahead of the UFC 285 bout between Jon Jones and Ciry Gane, White was questioned on Ngannou's prospective return.
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“We negotiated with him for years. It’s over. That’s over. He’ll never be in the UFC again,” said White.
On Saturday, Ngannou took to Twitter and responded to UFC President's comments with a meme. Seemingly, the Cameroonian-French MMA fighter is unperturbed by White's unsavoury remarks on his potential return.
Meanwhile, Jones is set to lock horns with Gane in the main event of UFC 285 on Saturday, March 4. The high-octane bout will decide the new champion in the heavyweight class in which Jones is marking his debut. The American MMA fighter will be entering the octagon after a three-year long hiatus. But given his reputation, some fans are already predicting his dominance over his French opponent.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Jones is set to lock horns with Gane in the main event of UFC 285 on Saturday, March 4. The high-octane bout will decide the new champion in the heavyweight class in which Jones is marking his debut. The American MMA fighter will be entering the octagon after a three-year long hiatus. But given his reputation, some fans are already predicting his dominance over his French opponent.
{{/usCountry}}UFC President White has announced that the winner of main event of UFC 285 will square off against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in their next match.
“He’s absolutely the next one. Whoever wins on Saturday night will face Stipe next,” said White.
Weighing in on Jones vs Gane fight, Ngannou had predicted the American fighter to have the upper hand.
"It depends which Jon Jones is going to be there. Is it going to be the Jon Jones that we know, or just a guy that's there [just] to be there... If Jon Jones shows up, this fight can be a TKO. I think he's gonna take [Gane] down, wrestle and some ground and pound. But it can go the distance if Jon Jones fights defensively. Because then both of them will be defensive fighters. Then it can go the distance," predicted Ngannou.