Dana White gives his final word on the possibility of Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones
Jon Jones was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion in the recently concluded UFC 285 pay-per-view event. Jones made quick work of Ciryl Gane, submitting the Frenchman in the very first round of their main event bout.
Jones' decision to move to the heavyweight division was motivated by a desire to put himself to the test. 'Bones' stated on multiple occasions prior to UFC 285 that he preferred a fight against former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou over the Gane fight. However, due to Ngannou's departure from the UFC due to failed contract negotiations, that fight never took place.
Jon Jones says Francis Ngannou is at fault for their failed fight 🤔
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UFC president Dana White recently dismissed the possibility of Francis Ngannou returning to the UFC entirely. Ngannou, meanwhile, congratulated Jon Jones for his victory at UFC 285 while also referring to himself as "The Heavyweight King."
White was asked at the UFC 285 news conference if he would be interested in booking a fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. White responded:
"I tried to make that fight. [It's] never going to happen. We tried to make that fight with him [Ngannou] for three years. You've got to want that fight. We all want to see a fight. Francis doesn't want the fight, you can't make him fight. I doubt it would have gone any differently."
Dana White asked again if a fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones really won't happen:
Francis doesn't want the fight, you can't make him fight. And I doubt it would have gone any differently.
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White also refuted any comparisons between Jones and Ngannou's individual performances against Ciryl Gane. He went on to say:
"The Francis fight, if he [Gane] didn't go for the heel hook, he would have won that fight. To even compare Francis Ngannou or Ciryl Gane to Jon Jones, you can't... He went in there and finished.... I don't know... I still can't f**king believe what I saw."
Dana White: To even compare Francis Ngannou or Ciryl Gane to Jon Jones, you can't...
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Daniel Cormier reacts to Jon Jones putting on a "great performance" against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285
Jon Jones' heavyweight debut was a resounding success. Jones picked up from where he left things off, defeating Ciryl Gane by submission in the very first-round of their main event clash at UFC 285.
It didn't take long for Jones to take Gane down and put him against the cage in a favorable position.While it appeared like Gane was defending the choke, Jones applied pressure and the Frenchman crumpled. 'Bones' forced a tap out of Gane at 2:04 of the very first round.
Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier, who has shared the octagon twice with Jones in the past, reacted to his former rival's performance at UFC 285 in an interview with ESPN. He stated:
"It was a great performance. Jones told anyone that would listen that this was going to be easy.... That this was a mismatch. He went out there and proved it. No one could have expected what Jon Jones did to Ciryl Gane in that fight."
Catch Cormier's comments below: