As far as UFC CEO Dana White is concerned, former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is dead to the promotion. However, that reality doesn’t appear to be something Ngannou’s camp is willing to accept. The Cameroonian’s long-time coach, Eric Nicksick, now claims Ngannou and the UFC may work together again someday for a fight against Jon Jones.

“I would never say never, because you’re looking at the landscape of the heavyweight division right now in the UFC, and it’s struggling. Dana [White] would admit that,” Nicksick told Action Network. “So, I feel like the mature thing to do is put your differences aside, and maybe eventually that’s a possibility for him.

“That’s a fight Jon [Jones] wants, that’s a fight Francis wants. So, why not make that happen? Jon is the ultimate competitor, and he’s now to me, a legacy-type fighter. If that fight becomes available, I could see Jon doing whatever it took to get back in there to make that fight happen.”

This comes on the heels of Jon Jones’ second retirement U-turn. Last year, when Jones found out about UFC White House, scheduled for June 14, he was among the first few to throw their names in the hat. However, Dana White wasn’t having any of it, claiming Jones can’t be trusted with such a big event. While Jones tried his best, ultimately, he gave up.

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In a recent interview, Jones claimed he has severe arthritis in his left hip, which has effectively ended his fighting career. This, of course, puts an end to any possible fight against Francis Ngannou, especially since it has possibly derailed talks for a fight between Jones and UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

But let’s say Jones agrees to come back for Ngannou, will Dana White actually agree to take Ngannou back? Well, Nicksick says contract disputes aren’t anything new. 

“It kind of reminds me of Fedor [Emelianenko] and Randy [Couture],” Nicksick continued. “I remember being in the gym and Randy leaving the UFC, and them having those contract disputes, and back and forth, because Fedor was the fight Randy always wanted.

“Just as a fan of the sport, we just want to see the best matchups from the best athletes that are out there. I just hope at some point we can have the opportunity to compete against arguably the best mixed martial artists to ever do it in Jon Jones.”

While Nicksick’s optimism is great, it’s borderline delusional. Ngannou left the promotion in January 2023, looking to make more money. Meanwhile, White wasn’t happy at all, having claimed the Cameroonian would never fight for the promotion ever again. He has also accused Ngannou of assaulting him and executive Hunter Campbell in a heated office confrontation.

Patching such cracks appears almost impossible. While Nicksick might be wrong about Ngannou’s return to the UFC, he was right about one thing.

Does the UFC’s heavyweight division really need Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou? 

Nicksick’s assessment of the heavyweight division isn’t inaccurate. With greats like Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, and Stipe Miocic gone, there are just a handful of names left to carry on the legacy. Even then, Tom Aspinall was sidelined last year after suffering a double eye-poke during the Ciryl Gane fight. And his subsequent surgeries have now stalled the entire division. 

While Alex Pereira is willing to move up to heavyweight, the rest of the division looks like a typhoon has passed through it. Take the Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira at UFC 325, for example. Both fighters were visibly drained and couldn’t even move after just three rounds of action. It’s clearly not the performance expected from a UFC top-15 heavyweight contest. 

And it’s not just Ngannou’s coach saying it.

“Heavyweight is struggling right now,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I love the big boys, but it feels like when you look at the heavyweight division, the best guys are clearly guys the best guys. [Tai Tuivasa fought] in Australia. It was a bad fight. He and [Tallison Teixeira] got so fatigued that they looked like they weren’t ready to fight. They didn’t look as skilled as we have seen fighters look recently.”

Considering that, it’s safe to say that UFC’s heavyweight division does need fighters like Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou back. However, Dana White putting aside his anger towards Ngannou seems unlikely. Do you reckon he will?