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Dana White shoots down Francis Ngannou UFC return talk: ‘I just don’t want to do business with bad guys’

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Dana White shoots down Francis Ngannou UFC return talk: ‘I just don’t want to do business with bad guys’

Dana White is staying out of the Francis Ngannou business.

Since Ngannou parted ways with the UFC in January 2023—with Ngannou being stripped of a heavyweight title on his way out—he and White have been vocal about their disdain for each other both personally and professionally. That rift has seemingly erased any possibility of Ngannou ever stepping foot in the octagon again.

The feud was briefly revisited during White's appearance on Nightcap on Thursday when the UFC CEO was asked if a matchup between Ngannou and retired pound-for-pound great Jon Jones could still happen.

“Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list,†White said. “Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he's been with. He's a bad guy and I'm at a point in my life where I just don't want to do business with bad guys. I just don't.â€

Ngannou joined the PFL after leaving the UFC, signing on not just to compete for the league but to serve as the chairman of PFL Africa. The partnership produced mixed results, with Ngannou competing in just one PFL bout, a 2024 win over Renan Ferreira, before his departure from the organization this past March. Ngannou's most notable appearances in the past few years came in high-profile boxing matches outside of the PFL against heavyweight stars Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

White's claim that he won't work with Ngannou due to character issues is a dubious one, especially when mentioning Jones, who has dealt with multiple legal issues, including being the perpetrator in a 2015 hit-and-run that resulted in the UFC stripping him of his light heavyweight championship.

Also, this past July, UFC 329 was headlined by the return of Conor McGregor, who competed a year-and-a-half after being found liable for sexual assault in a civil suit. Like Jones, McGregor has also been embroiled in several outside-of-the-cage controversies.

White even alluded to Jones' unsavory character when praising his fighting acumen.

“Jon Jones is the baddest dude to ever walk the face of the earth,†White said. “People always bust my balls when I say it, Jon Jones is not just a stone cold killer—That guy's dark. He's dark.â€

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Cong Wang says teammates go harder on her: ‘Treated like boys’

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Cong Wang says teammates go harder on her: ‘Treated like boys’
Cong
Wang has detailed her experience during sparring sessions at

Team Alpha Male.

Wang (10-1) is on the verge of the biggest fight of her
Ultimate Fighting Championship career. She faces Natalia
Silva for the vacant women's flyweight title at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Chinese
flyweight says her training partners at the Sacramento-based gym
quickly realized she could handle a more intense level of
sparring.

UFC 332 title challenger Cong Wang details sparring at Team
Alpha Male

Part of Wang's preparation for UFC 332 included training at Team
Alpha Male, where she said her sparring partners began going harder
against her after experiencing her striking firsthand. According to
Wang, teammates who might go easier when sparring with other women
instead increase their intensity against her.

“Yes, that’s true,†Wang said in a pre-fight interview. “They will
go easy against the other girls, but when they spar with [me], they
find the difficulty in the level of striking. They will go harder.
They will even swing against [me]. That’s why [I am] treated like
boys in the gym.â€

Wang enters her upcoming title fight on a four-fight winning
streak, most recently defeating Tracy
Cortez by unanimous decision. Silva, meanwhile, is unbeaten in
eight UFC appearances and holds victories over former champions
Jessica
Andrade, Alexa
Grasso and Rose
Namajunas.

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Esteban Ribovics takes unusual steps to prepare for King Green at UFC 332

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Esteban Ribovics takes unusual steps to prepare for King Green at UFC 332
Esteban
Ribovics has taken extra measures to prepare for his upcoming
bout in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ribovics (16-3) will face King Green
(36-17-1) at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Argentine
lightweight detailed the measures he took to prepare for the city's
altitude ahead of his matchup with Green.

Esteban Ribovics details his altitude preparation for King
Green in Salt Lake City

Ribovics said he slept in a chamber that simulated lower oxygen
levels for several weeks as part of his preparation. He also
arrived in Salt Lake City 10 days early and has been running in the
mountains to help acclimate.

“When I found out that it was getting the fight, I actually slept
for a couple of weeks in a hyperbaric chamber,†Ribovics said in a
pre-fight interview. “I’m not sure if that’s the name they use for
it, but basically it simulates not having as much oxygen. I did
really well with that, and also, I came in 10 days before just to
be acclimated to it, and so far, so good. I actually ran in the
mountains, so I’m feeling good.â€

Ribovics defeated Edson
Barboza in his most recent outing, returning to the win column
after a submission loss to Mateusz
Gamrot. He is targeting a performance bonus against fellow
striker Green and expects an action-packed fight.

“I’m made for the bonus, I work for the bonus, I train for the
bonus,†Ribovics added. “And also, I think that King Green proposes
a fight, like he comes in and is going to allow me to have a
performance like that and I’m sure that I’m going to go get the
bonus and that’s it, I’m made for the bonus, that’s what I am.â€

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Joshua Van & Manel Kape trade personal shots as UFC title feud heats up

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Joshua Van & Manel Kape trade personal shots as UFC title feud heats up
Joshua
Van and Manel Kape
are trading barbs online.

Van successfully defended his
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title for the second
time at UFC
331 on Sept. 19, earning a unanimous decision over former
champion Alexandre
Pantoja in their rematch. Kape, who is considered a potential
challenger for Van's next title defense, has responded after the
champion took aim at him on social media.

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and Manel Kape escalate their
war of words

Van mocked Kape in a recent post on X while teasing a fight between
the two strikers.

“Yo fat f*ck,†Van wrote on X. “Start cutting now cuz u better make
weight !! We don't want another weight excuse. Let's give the
people what they want!!!â€

Kape soon responded, vowing to finish the champion quicker than
Charles
Johnson did in Van's most recent defeat.

“Finally came out of hiding, son?†Kape posted in response. “They
told me you weren't sure about facing your dad, but I guess there's
nowhere left to run. I promised I'd change your diapers, & I always
keep my word. By the way, the weight I'm putting on is just so I
can put you to sleep even earlier than Charles Johnson did.â€

Van fired back by mocking online speculation about Kape's
appearance.

“Hiding ??†Van wrote. “I been here, like I always am. You just too
busy shopping for bra , udk wht been goin on.â€

Kape returned to the baby-themed trash talk, prompting Van to
question his apparent fixation on diapers.

“The only things I've been shopping for are diapers & your health
insurance,†Kape wrote. “Trust me, you're gonna need both. And like
a good father, I'm making sure everything's taken care of in
advance.â€

“Wht with your obsession With diapers,” Van wrote. “Make me wonder
#tittyboi.â€


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