- Dana White is no longer interested in Francis Ngannou and believes he would’ve just lost to Jon Jones the same way as Ciryl Gane
- The UFC boss said they will be working on Jones vs. Miocic
UFC president Dana White is one of the people who are still stunned by how Jon Jones redeemed himself by becoming the new heavyweight champion at UFC 285. “Bones” has now got his sights set on Stipe Miocic but there is still some buzz about a fight with Francis Ngannou. But for White, Ngannou is done and the outcome would’ve been the same had “The Predator” been in Ciryl Gane’s place last weekend.
Different opponent, same result
Speaking to TMZ Sports, White gushed about Jones’ performance, considering he was off a three-year hiatus. As for the possibility of a Jones vs. Ngannou fight, the UFC boss pointed out that he had tried to book it for two years but “The Predator” never wanted to make it happen.
White added that he had completely lost his interest in the said fight after he was convinced that Ngannou would’ve just suffered the same exact defeat as Gane in the hands of “Bones.”
“I’m not interested… I tried to make that fight for two years, he didn’t want the fight you know what I mean, he didn’t want the fight and I mean he left here without even having another deal in place but you know and I know how the boxing world is, it’s crazy but you know Francis didn’t want to do it. I tried to make that fight for two years and let me tell you what, I think… a lot of other people feel this way, I think that’s exactly the way the fight would have gone if he was in there too. Him and Cyril had a five-round war and if Cyril doesn’t go for that submission, Cyril probably wins that fight at the end of the fifth round there,” White said of Jones vs. Ngannou.
“Absolutely,” White said if he thinks Jones would’ve beaten Ngannou at UFC 285. “And I wouldn’t be shocked either if he fights Stipe and then retires.”
All in for Jones vs. Miocic
Just as everybody expects, Jones vs. Miocic is also what’s on top of the UFC’s priority list as far as the heavyweight division is concerned. White said it’s definitely a battle between the GOATs and they will be hoping to see when can they possibly make the fight happen.
“Here’s the thing that makes this so awesome man. Basically, you have the greatest mixed martial artist of all time facing the greatest heavyweight of all time so it literally doesn’t get any better than that. These are the kind of fights you dream about making,” White said of Jones vs. Miocic
“I don’t know yet [when]… I think it’s going to take more time than that but we honestly haven’t made it but we’ll see how it plays out… Stipe is another guy who hasn’t fought in a while. He’s gotta figure out his personal situation and then get back into camp so, I don’t know,” he added.
Despite the hype, it can be recalled that Ngannou left the UFC just before Jones made his heavyweight debut. This led to “Bones” feeling that “The Predator” opted to duck him.
As for Miocic, Jones feels that no other fight makes sense for him now but a showdown against the so-called heavyweight GOAT.
