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Francis Ngannou Exposed as Dana White’s Biggest “Problem” With Jon Jones Fight With Ex-UFC Champ Revealed

Published 11/16/2023, 5:04 AM EST

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If there is one fight that the UFC fans were dying to see, it is the fight between UFC HW champ Jon Jones and former champ Francis Ngannou. The fight never happened owing to Ngannou’s sudden exit from the UFC and eventual move to the PFL. However, there were attempts at making the fight happen but UFC CEO Dana White wouldn’t have it because Ngannou is not part of the UFC banner anymore.

When White made it clear that he wouldn’t make the fight happen (a cross-promotion fight between PFL and UFC), the fans started criticizing White for not being open to the idea. However, the UFC CEO was clear as to why and he made that clear in the UFC 295 press conference. UFC legend Chael Sonnen recently provided the fans with his take on why White was right in saying so on his latest YouTube podcast episode.

Chael Sonnen sides with Dana White as Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight falls apart

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Chael Sonnen seems to agree with White’s decision not to co-promote the fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones – and he has a valid reason for agreeing with it. He recently spoke about it on his YouTube channel.

If you guys wanted to say… what a mistake. We should have made Francis vs. Jon Jones. Okay great! I’ll make Francis vs. Jon Jone right now. Francis is going to take on Jon Jones,” said Sonnen. “But you see the problem, where I don’t get to make it. Why? Because I don’t have a contract. For me to say the words ‘I’m going to do it’ – I have to have a contract and get that signed right? That’s the difference,” he added. 

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The world wanted to see the fight happen but as a CEO, White has responsibilities and a few criteria for making it happen. Since Ngannou is not contractually engaged with the UFC anymore, White doesn’t seem to see the point of co-promoting a fight and sharing the spoils of it. “But it’s a very big deal because it came from a lawyer… that they screwed up not making the fight and they are the only ones to blame because both fighters wanted it,” said Sonnen.

Dana White gets support from a UFC champ in declining Jones vs. Ngannou

Chael Sonnen isn’t the only one who understood where Dana White was coming from. The UFC fans obviously want the fight to happen but there are things to be kept in mind when making a fight happen – from a business standpoint.

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UFC bantamweight champ Sean O’Malley agrees with White. He shared his thoughts on the matter on his latest podcast episode, where the champ said that the fight truly doesn’t make sense, since the UFC operates on a much bigger scale, as compared to the PFL. Furthermore, both promotion companies are in direct competition with each other.

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The public outrage has been massive against Dana White. However, it seems the UFC CEO has found support from the people in the organization. But will the fans get what they want? Is there any way that this fight can be made to happen? Although it seems unlikely at this point, never say never!

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Written by:

Arghyadeep Ghosh

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Hi, I am Arghyadeep, a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. Being brought up alongside two brothers who were avid WWE fans, I had no option but to watch alongside them and sometimes even partake in their ‘re-enactments’. However, I found myself gravitating towards combat sports soon after.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das