White: Ngannou will 'probably' fight Lewis next

The UFC is apparently getting closer to booking Francis Ngannou's first title defense - and it doesn't sound like it will be against Jon Jones.

Dana White, the promotion's president, said Monday that the heavyweight champion will likely face Derrick Lewis in a rematch in his next bout.

"It's probably going to be 'The Black Beast,'" White told Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole. "At the end of the day, Derrick Lewis and Ngannou is the fight. That's the fight to make right now. Derrick Lewis is a heavyweight, he's been fighting at heavyweight. He's earned this shot. He's got a win over him. It's the fight to make."

Jones, a former light heavyweight champion, was widely expected to get the first crack at the winner between Ngannou and Stipe Miocic before that fight took place in March. But the Ngannou-Jones matchup became less likely afterward when Jones made it clear he wanted a significant pay increase to challenge for the heavyweight belt, and White questioned his desire to fight Ngannou.

Ngannou and Lewis met in a non-title bout in 2018, with the latter earning a decision victory in one of the most lackluster and disappointing fights in UFC history. White seemed to be confident the rematch would unfold differently.

"That fight didn't do what everybody expected it to do," White said. "It can't go bad twice, can it?"