White: Nothing 'made me happier than throwing' Ngannou to PFL

UFC CEO Dana White doesn't want anything to do with Francis Ngannou.

A former heavyweight champion who left the UFC in 2023, Ngannou revealed Wednesday that his PFL contact is "very close" to expiring and that he wants to fight Jon Jones next year. That led to speculation that Ngannou could re-sign with the UFC.

However, White shut down any chance of a reunion.

"There was nothing that made me happier than throwing that guy over to the f-----g PFL," White said in an interview with TheMacLife's Oscar Willis that aired Thursday. "Let me tell you what: If we let guys go, feel bad for the f-----g company that gets them. We let them go for a f-----g reason. I don't have to let anybody go.

"I don't want to be in business with guys that I don't like and that I don't think are good guys."

In January 2023, Ngannou left the UFC as a free agent - and therefore vacated the heavyweight title - following a year of contract negotiations. The 39-year-old Cameroonian signed with the PFL four months later but has stepped into the SmartCage just once, earning a knockout of Renan Ferreira in October 2024.

White and Ngannou had a rocky relationship at times while Ngannou was in the UFC, and White has criticized the heavyweight on numerous occasions since his departure. In October 2024, White said, "Francis isn't a good guy" and added, "We'll never be in business together."

Ngannou, still one of the top heavyweights in MMA, recently expressed interest in fighting Jones at the UFC's event at the White House in 2026. However, he hasn't ruled out re-signing with the PFL.