"Only way" Francis Ngannou could return to the UFC laid out by ex-MMA referee: "They are not going to let him out"
Francis Ngannou made an appearance during UFC Atlanta fight week amid Jon Jones' callout for a potential clash against 'The Predator'. However, according to former referee John McCarthy, there’s just one way the fight might come to fruition.
Ngannou is still under contract with the PFL (Professional Fighters League), and his high-profile deal was never a one-and-done agreement. Based on timelines and inactivity, McCarthy believes the contract likely stretches across multiple fights. That makes a UFC return legally off the table unless the PFL agrees to part ways through a trade.
McCarthy laid it out bluntly and claimed that the UFC isn’t going to buy Ngannou out. According to him, if a deal is made, it has to be an exchange. Speaking in a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast, McCarthy said:
"He’s got a contract. Same as Jon Jones has a contract. Francis Ngannou’s got a contract [with PFL] and they’re not going to let him out of that contract... Unless they trade him back to the UFC... that’s the only way I could see it happening."
He added:
"Business is business, and friendship is friendship. But man you could piss me off but if it's going to help my business I'll do it. That's the way they work. That's why they are where they're at."
Check out John McCarthy's comments below (56:00):
That being said, UFC CEO Dana White has stated in the past that Ngannou is unlikely to return to the organization. White shut the door on a future Ngannou return after UFC 285's ceremonial weigh-ins, claiming that while he doesn't like to use the word "never" in business, he's confident of using it strongly for Ngannou's potential return.
Dana White dismisses Francis Ngannou's potential UFC return amidst the ongoing Jon Jones drama
Dana White confirmed Jon Jones agreed to fight Tom Aspinall, calling social media talk of vacating the title “crazy.” While the bout isn’t officially signed, White insisted it’s the fight to make and that Jones had accepted the offer.
Meanwhile, Jones called out Ngannou for a potential fight while the Aspinall fight hangs in uncertainty. White, on the other hand, ruled out a reunion with Ngannou at the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, stating:
"It's Aspinall's fight. I mean, we've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight. Listen, you can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, we can't make him fight. We can try to make him fight. We can throw things at him that want to inspire him to fight. We'll figure it out... I don't have Ngannou under contract, and Aspinall is the guy. Eh, probably not [sign Ngannou back]."
Check out Dana White's comments below (9:50 and 13:50):