UFC boss Dana White was never interested in co-promotion, even when it came to super fights.
However, new money from Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh has helped ensure that all of the major fights in combat sports have taken place, including a previously impossible unification of heavyweight boxers as well as a number of major world championship fights.
Alalshikh even managed to resolve the decades-long family feud between bitter rivals Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren. And after hosting the first UFC event in Saudi Arabia last week and coming on board as one of the few title sponsors for their September pay-per-view, he could do big things in MMA.
Dana White does not rule out possible joint promotion for Jon Jones against Francis Ngannou
Dana White is notorious in UFC history for never having done any kind of co-promotion. He let contracts with the likes of Fedor Emelianenko fall through because of the contract clause and even decided against using the UFC branding for the famous boxing match between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
But now Turki Alalshikh could be the man to finally get White to break his decades-long rule at industry revolutionaries PFL for one of the biggest fights in MMA. Francis Ngannou, who has never lost his heavyweight title, has been boxing for several years but still claims the “lineal” UFC title.
However, when he left the promotion, the belt was stripped and his top challenger Ciryl Gane faced Jon Jones for the vacant belt, which the American ultimately won. The belt’s origins were further confused when Jones had to abandon his first title defense against Stipe Miocic due to injury.)
Now the promotion has an interim champion in Tom Aspinall, who many see as a more legitimate champion due to his years of dominance in the division. He will even defend his belt against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 before Jones even has a defense of his own.
And with Ngannou now signed with the PFL, where he is set to make his debut against Renan Ferreira later this year, the crowning of an absolute undisputed champion seems further away than ever. But White seemed to crack the door a little last night at the post-fight press conference at UFC 303.
When asked if Turki Alalshikh could facilitate an unprecedented co-promotion with PFL for Jones vs. Ngannou, White explicitly rejects the possibility, saying: “Well, I actually respect Sheikh Turki, he’s a nice guy. We’ve actually built a relationship over the last few months.”
“I respect what he’s done in boxing. He’s the only one who can pull it off and be in these big fights. And the fights are good, there are no guys who come in and avoid fights to get to the next payday.
“What this guy has done in such a short period of time is pretty incredible, so obviously we’re talking about a lot of different options with him. I respect him. I like him, so we’ll see what the future holds.”
Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou have faced each other several times
Ngannou has faced Jones in intense encounters during a number of PFL shows. They met in Atlanta last summer after Jones cornered teammate Maurice Greene in his second regular season fight and seemed eager to battle it out.
And in Saudi Arabia, at the PFL’s Champions vs. Champions event, they crossed paths again while Jones was appearing on the show. When the UFC champion declared that he would beat Stipe Miocic, Tom Aspinall and then Ngannou, his rival responded, “In your dreams, you’re f***ing fat.”
Continuing to talk about his career, Jones said, “I respect what (Ngannou) has done in boxing. He’s the only one who can pull it off and be in these big fights. And the fights are good, there are no guys who come in and avoid fights to get to the next payday.”
“What this guy has done in such a short period of time is pretty incredible, so obviously we’re talking about a lot of different options with him. I respect him. I like him, so we’ll see what the future holds.”
Dana White believes Francis Ngannou “didn’t want” the fight against Jon Jones.
In the final stages of Ngannou’s UFC career, when negotiations fell through, he was offered one of the highest bonuses in heavyweight history to defend his title against Jones. However, it was felt that his new contract would be too restrictive and he decided to move to the PFL and into boxing.
Since then, he has fought Tyson Fury and arguably won in the eyes of many, winning a close split decision against a man who was the undefeated WBC heavyweight champion of the world at the time. His most recent outing did not go in his favor, as he was brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua in two rounds.
But despite these enormous risks, White believes he never wanted to fight Jones and was scared of this matchup. “We did everything in our power to make this fight against Jon Jones happen and it is what it is,” White said during an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast.
“Not only is Jon Jones not afraid of Francis, he is also the toughest fighter of all time in any combat sport. Jon Jones is undefeated in the UFC with just one loss to his name, against Steve Mazzagatti (who disqualified him for a controversial rules violation).
“Then he goes out for three years, comes back and beats Ciryl Gane (snaps fingers) so effortlessly. In my opinion, he does the same thing to Francis, 100 percent, does the same thing to Francis. Francis didn’t want to fight Jon Jones.”
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