Dana White does not rule out a future collaboration with Francis Ngannou now that Saudi Arabia is in picture
UFC CEO Dana White has spoken about the possibility of working with Francis Ngannou again in the future. White was at the UFC 303 post-fight press conference when one journalist asked whether a cross-promotion fight involving Ngannou could become a reality, considering that Turki Alalshikh was now in the picture.
White responded by showering praise on Alalshikh for organising mutiple big boxing events in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the recent past. Although White didn't mention Ngannou by name, he said that the involvement of His Excellency with the UFC could open up a lot of options in terms of fights.
"I actually respect [Turki Alalshikh]. He's a nice guy and we have actually formed a relationship over the last couple of months. I respect what he's done with boxing. This is the only guy that could ever pull this off, making these big fights... What this guy's done in a short amount of time is pretty incredible. We're obviously talking about lots of different options with this guy and I respect him, I like him. So, we'll see what the future holds."
Check out Dana White's comments below:
Ngannou was last seen in the UFC in January 2022 when he fought Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. The Cameroonian won that fight via unanimous decision and then parted ways with the sport due to contractual disputes.
Ngannou then ventured into the world of boxing and fought Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in his first two proffesional bouts. Both of those encounters took place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
'The Predator' gave a good account of himself in his fight against Fury but lost the contest via split decision.
But Ngannou's encounter against Joshua did not go well for the former UFC champion. 'AJ' made light work of the Cameroonian and knocked him out in the second round of the fight.