A provisional date of June 14 has been earmarked for a potential UFC event at the White House, with United States President Donald Trump claiming the fight card will contain NINE championship bouts.
Francis Ngannou interested in UFC return against Jon Jones
And, speaking to Ariel Helwani on Wednesday night, former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou revealed that he’d be very interested in returning to the UFC to face former two-division world champion Jon Jones.
“I’m getting very close on the PFL contract (coming to an end),” Ngannou told Helwani.
“They have to give me a fight.”
Ngannou went on to reveal that his existing deal with the PFL expires before the UFC’s White House card, and stated that he would be interested in a fight with Jones on that card, if it was possible.
“Yes. If that could happen,” he said, before admitting that he wasn’t convinced whether it would ever become a reality.
“Confident? No, but there’s a chance,” Ngannou said, hopefully.
“Anything can happen.”
Dana White reveals backstage clash with Francis Ngannou
Any chance of a deal to bring Ngannou back to the UFC may hinge on bridges being built between the fighter and UFC President and CEO Dana White, who recently appeared on a podcast and claimed that the Cameroonian had put hands on him after a fight where he had not received a post-fight bonus.
“He had just fought and he comes up to my office. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ And he was p***ed off that he didn’t get a $50,000 bonus,” White told the FLAGRANT podcast.
“I’m starting to leave, and he grabs me by my shirt, and pushes me back in my office. And I said, ‘Dude, get your f***ing hands off me.’
“I could see in this guy’s face and in his eyes and in the way he’s acting who this guy really f***ing is.'”
White also claimed that Ngannou had also put his hands on UFC CBO Hunter Campbell later that same night.
“My guy Hunter, they were talking about something, it might have even been that same thing,” White continued.
“When Hunter started to walk away, Francis grabbed him by the f***ing back of his collar, f***ing pulled him back and said, ‘We’re not done talking yet.’
“This guy’s not a good f***ing guy. He’s a bad guy.”
