Dana White and Co. are not afraid to make roster cuts when the situation calls for it. One of the most obvious and common reasons for fighters getting cut is the lackluster performances inside the Octagon and their inability to get a win at the biggest MMA promotion in the world. However, fighters often fight their way back into the Las Vegas-based promotion, and a former light heavyweight fighter intends to do the same.

Known as ‘The Mindless Hulk, ‘ Dylan Budka signed with the UFC after a win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. However, he could not get a win in his actual run in the promotion, losing three consecutive fights to Cesar Almeida, Andre Petroski, and Edmen Shahbazyan. The UFC CEO released him after his last fight this past February, and since then, Budka has competed in just one MMA fight, and most recently, competed in a boxing match.

Dylan Budka put on a great show in Ohio, where he fought JD McNett in a 175-pound match. He won the fight, and after that, the former UFC fighter made a passionate speech about going through a health crisis recently. Thereafter, he mentioned his run in Dana White’s promotion, claiming that he’s looking to come back and do things the “right” way and in a new weight class.

“I’m healthy, I’m strong, and I’m coming to welterweight, and I’m gonna be back in the UFC real soon, guys,” Dylan Budka told the Ohio crowd, who were cheering him on. “And this time, we’re gonna do it right. So, I wanna shout out to all my sponsors, all my supporters, everybody in here right now because y’all didn’t give up on me.” Doubling down on his plans, Budka additionally said, “I’m coming back [UFC] and this time imma do it right,” on X as a message to Dana White and Co.

Well, Dana White has always had one thing to say about fighters who want to come back, and that is to prove their worth elsewhere, and then there will be a conversation. That might work for Dylan Budka, but he’s not the only one who’s making it known that he wants to come back to the UFC. A former champion also wished the same, but the 56-year-old was not in the mood to entertain that thought.

Dana White rejects former champion’s wish to come back to the UFC.

In case you’re wondering who the former champion in question is here, well, it’s Francis Ngannou. The current PFL star raised some eyebrows when he recently accompanied Kamaru Usman in his fight against Joaquin Buckley. He would later come out to express his wish to come back and fight inside the Octagon, even though Ngannou and Dana White’s public breakup was an ugly one.

When Dana White learnt about Ngannou’s statements, he straightaway dismissed the Cameroonian-French star, claiming that ‘The Predator’ is not the person that the people think he is. “He would consider coming back to the UFC if what? One thing I’ve learned over the years about Francis is Francis doesn’t always mean what he says publicly,” White said during a presser. “I’m not a big fan. I would be shocked if Francis ever came back here, on lots of different levels.”

Well, it’s safe to say that there is no love lost between Francis Ngannou and Dana White, but the question now is – has Dylan Budka also burned the bridge back to the UFC as well? We’ll have to wait and see how things pan out in the future for the former UFC middleweight. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.