Francis Ngannou is well aware of how the business works, especially when it involves Dana White, president of the UFC. Now, as Ngannou prepares for his debut in the PFL (Professional Fighters League) after over a year of stepping away from the UFC, he understands that White can shape the narrative however he wants. Ngannou left the UFC to explore other opportunities, despite being offered a substantial contract to stay.
Recently, after a Contender Series event, White addressed a question about the possibility of a fight between Ngannou and Jon Jones, blaming Ngannou for that bout not happening. White said, “You can’t make people fight, and we couldn’t make Francis fight Jon Jones.”
Ngannou, however, had a different take when asked about this during a press conference ahead of his upcoming fight with Renan Ferreira in October. With a smile, Ngannou dismissed White’s comment, saying that it’s just a new narrative being pushed.
“I think that’s the story they’re going with now because they need to say something,” Ngannou remarked. “From my perspective, it was Jon Jones who didn’t want to fight me—according to them. I remember sitting in meetings where they’d say, ‘Oh, it can’t happen. Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight anymore. He’s just living in Albuquerque with plenty of money in his bank.’”
Ngannou believes that whoever controls the narrative can spin the story however they like, but for him, the facts remain the same. Ngannou had been pushing for a fight with Jones for years. However, the only reason he would have turned down that opportunity would be if it was tied to conditions in his UFC contract that he disagreed with.
Before parting ways with the UFC, Ngannou had made it clear that he was looking for more than just money. He wanted the freedom to explore other opportunities, such as the boxing matches he’s now pursuing with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou has no regrets about his decisions, but he’s clear that he never ducked a fight with Jon Jones out of fear or avoidance. “I was the one asking for that fight,” he said, “but I didn’t want to get locked into a deal that didn’t work for me. I wanted fair terms. Yes, I wanted to fight Jon Jones, but only under the right conditions—not just for a paycheck.”
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