Dana White Shuts Down Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones Talk, Blasts Former UFC Champ

UFC CEO Dana White had zero patience for fantasy matchmaking during UFC 334 fight week in New York, flatly shutting down talk of a heavyweight superfight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones while taking another sharp jab at his former champion.

The spark came after current undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane predicted that Ngannou would knock out Jones if the two ever shared the cage. When told about Gane's pick during a Bleacher Report dream-card segment, White immediately bristled.

“He said Francis knocks out Jon Jones? Is that what he said?” White asked, visibly unimpressed before dismissing the matchup altogether. “I am definitely not interested in that fight. I mean we tried hard to make that fight happen. At that time it was the fight that needed to happen, and couldn’t get it done with Francis. Francis is a bad guy, I’m happy to not be in business with him anymore.”

White’s reaction shouldn't surprise anyone who follows the sport. The UFC boss has spent years calling Jones the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, so hearing Gane pick a departed former champion to knock him out was never going to sit well.

History Inside the Octagon

What makes Gane's prediction even more intriguing is that he has stood across from both men inside the Octagon. The 36-year-old Frenchman holds a 14-2 (1 NC) record, and those two career defeats came exclusively at the hands of Ngannou and Jones.

At UFC 270 in January 2022, Ngannou (17-3) used four takedowns to edge out Gane by unanimous decision in his final promotional appearance before leaving the promotion. Fourteen months later at UFC 285 in March 2023, Jones (28-1, 1 NC) needed just 2 minutes and 4 seconds to submit Gane with a first-round guillotine choke to claim the vacant heavyweight crown.

While Jones retired in June 2025, White still left the door open for a Jones comeback against Tom Aspinall, noting he would book that bout "in a minute." As for Ngannou, that bridge remains thoroughly burned. Meanwhile, Gane headlinesUFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday against undefeated challenger Josh Hokit (10-0).