Francis Ngannou has spent nearly three years outside the UFC, yet somehow, the shadow of his departure still looms over every conversation about his future. The former heavyweight champion has crossed into boxing, returned to MMA, and watched the UFC move on without him, but any discussion of a comeback always circles back to the same two things: Dana White and the unresolved tension between them.

And now, with the UFC’s historic White House card planned for next summer, and Ngannou’s PFL contract nearing its end, the questions surrounding him have grown louder. Could he return? Would he return? And what does he make of White’s recent claim that their split once turned physical?

Francis Ngannou chooses not to engage with Dana White’s claims of an altercation

Those questions set the tone when ‘The Predator’ joined The Ariel Helwani Show, and instead of diving into rebuttals, he made an unexpected choice. Ariel Helwani opened the door immediately, asking Ngannou directly whether he’d ever laid hands on White. The former champion didn’t dodge the question, he dismantled it with a jab of sarcasm.

Ngannou repeated, “Who, Dana White?” before adding, “Then he must be the only person that I ever put my hand on.”

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From there, he held his ground without taking the bait. When Helwani pointed out that White claimed Ngannou grabbed both him and Hunter Campbell by the collar, Ngannou simply noted, “In his office, that’s what he said, right? Well, I’m sure he has a lot of cameras there.”

But when Helwani asked if that was an invitation for White to prove it, Ngannou shut it down, “I’m not inviting him to do anything. I’m not in court.”

So why not deny it outright? ‘The Predator’ explained that responding to every accusation isn’t a battle he’s interested in fighting anymore. Over time, he said, constantly being expected to answer for what others say becomes exhausting.

He added, “I get past it. I’m long gone from that. At some point, [it’s] very annoying to just have to be responsible of what people say. If Dana said this, then I’m out here going to basically defend myself of what Dana said.”

As such, his refusal to fire back wasn’t weakness; it was a declaration. Francis Ngannou is done giving oxygen to old conflicts. But if he won’t talk about the past, what about the future? That’s where the conversation took a turn.

Ngannou wants to “wait” before thinking about a UFC return

With his PFL contract expiring before the White House card, and with fans still dreaming of a super-fight with Jon Jones, Helwani pressed him on whether a return to the UFC was possible.

Ngannou revealed that he had tried to reopen dialogue in the past, saying he was already willing to talk “before he fell off.” But when Helwani asked whether he’d consider it again once his current deal ends, Ngannou gave a measured answer with, “I don’t know. Wait until it’s over.”

Not a yes. Not a no. A deliberate pause. That approach lines up with everything we’ve seen from him in the past year.

Ngannou’s goals, whether boxing Deontay Wilder, chasing the long-elusive Jon Jones fight, or fighting on the UFC’s White House lawn, all hinge on timing and leverage. And timing, at least right now, appears to be on his side.

While he’s only fought once in MMA since leaving the UFC in 2023, ‘The Predator’ has remained one of combat sports’ most polarizing figures. His split-decision war with Tyson Fury and his brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua only amplified his global profile. Ultimately, what Ngannou made clear is that he’s not interested in reliving old grievances, and he’s not ready to map out a UFC return.

But he’s also not closing any doors. Fighting Jon Jones? Possible. Fighting at the White House? Also possible. Working with Dana White again? If the deal is right and the drama stays elsewhere, nothing is seemingly off the table.