Dana White shuts the door on a possible Francis Ngannou return: “He’ll never be in the UFC again”

Former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will never fight for the UFC again according to Dana White.

Ngannou (17-3 MMA) parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship early in January after failing to come to terms on a new deal with the promotion.

‘The Predator’ cited that he attempted to negotiate health insurance, sponsorships, and other benefits for all fighters on the UFC roster. However, the company wouldn’t comply.

With that, Dana White and the UFC ultimately handed Francis Ngannou his release papers and proceeded to strip him of the heavyweight title. Shortly thereafter, news broke that Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane would be fighting for the vacant heavyweight strap on March 4th in Las Vegas.

Despite having a falling out with White and the UFC, Francis Ngannou seemingly left the door open for a possible return.

“I don’t take any of this personal, any of this doesn’t touch me at all. You know, I think I have gotten to a point in my life where I’m cool, man. I get passed everything, I have seen a lot,” Ngannou said when asked if he would ever consider returning to the UFC. “One thing I have also learned in life is never say never. So, down the road, maybe I go out there have a boxing match, it went well or not, but one thing that I know is that even in that situation it has to be on my terms.”

Despite those comments, UFC President Dana White asserted that there is no chance of Francis Ngannou ever fighting in the Octagon again earlier today.

“No,” White told reporters in Las Vegas (via ESPN). “No. We negotiated with him for years. It’s over, that’s over. He’ll never be in the UFC again.”

A few minutes later, White doubled down on that statement.

“Yeah, I never say never, but I’ll give you a never on that one,” White said. “We tried.”

Are you surprised to hear Dana White say that he will never entertain the idea of a Francis Ngannou return to the UFC? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!