Dana White rules out Francis Ngannou UFC return, citing 'bad guy' character concerns

Dana White has categorically ruled out a Francis Ngannou return to the UFC, telling the Nightcap show on Thursday that the former heavyweight champion belongs on his personal list of people he refuses to work with — a group he named after boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

“Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list,” White said. “Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he’s been with. 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. I just don’t.”

The comments came when White was asked whether a long-discussed matchup between Ngannou and retired pound-for-pound great Jon Jones could still materialise. The two men have been openly hostile since Ngannou left the UFC in January 2023, departing with the heavyweight title stripped from him on his way out the door.

Ngannou subsequently signed with the PFL, taking on a dual role as both competitor and chairman of PFL Africa. His time there yielded limited results inside the cage — a single bout, a 2024 victory over Renan Ferreira — before he parted ways with the organisation in March 2025. His highest-profile appearances in recent years came in boxing, where he faced heavyweight stars Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

White’s character-based reasoning, however, sits awkwardly alongside his continued promotion of fighters with significant legal histories. Jones, the very fighter White invoked in the same conversation, was stripped of the light heavyweight title by the UFC itself following a 2015 hit-and-run incident. White nonetheless praised Jones in effusive terms during the same appearance.

“Jon Jones is the baddest dude to ever walk the face of the earth,” White said. “Jon Jones is not just a stone cold killer — that guy’s dark. He’s dark.”

Conor McGregor’s return at UFC 329 this past July also drew scrutiny, coming roughly 18 months after a civil jury found him liable for sexual assault. McGregor, like Jones, has accumulated a lengthy record of off-cage controversies without triggering the same response from White.

For now, the prospect of Ngannou competing in the octagon again appears dead in the water, with White showing no indication that his position will soften.