UFC legend blames Dana White’s promotion’s ‘big ego’ for not making Fedor Emelianenko super fight

UFC has too much ego to let champion Jon Jones face Francis Ngannou in cross-promotional showdown, says Randy Couture citing own example.

UFC legend blames Dana White’s promotion’s ‘big ego’ for not making Fedor Emelianenko super fight

UFC won't let Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou happen, says Randy Couture (Source: X/IMAGO)

When it comes to super fights and the what-ifs of MMA, Jon Jones is in most of them. With the unheard-of pound-for-pound worth he holds even now, ‘Bones’ is quite never out of the conversation. One name people hoped he’d clash with at heavyweight was Francis Ngannou. Theoretically, nothing is stopping him from facing Jones or even interim HW Tom Aspinall. However, Randy Couture blames it on UFC’s pent-up ego to be strictly no-no against cross-promotional fights.

Over the past week, Francis Ngannou and UFC CEO Dana White have been playing the blame game. They have been at odds over why a fight between Ngannou and Jon Jones has never happened. White claimed that Ngannou prevented this fight. The ex-UFC heavyweight champion, however, begged to differ. The Cameroonian said that the promotion told him it was Jones who didn’t want to fight when he was trying to negotiate a new deal to stay on. But from personal experience, Randy Couture knows who to blame.

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I know the UFC’s got too big an ego to let that happen, …That’s why the Fedor-fight never happened [for me]… Because M-1 wanted to do a co-promotion and the UFC’s never going to let that happen...
Randy Couture to Damon Martin for MMAFighting on SBN (@mmafightingonsbn)

Couture famously tried to fight Fedor Emelianenko in 2007, ultimately leading to litigation between the former two-division champ and the UFC. With prize fighters putting their freedom to the test and hoping for crossovers, UFC wanted fighters to sign away their ancillary rights in perpetuity. ‘The Natural,’ naturally was against this; a struggle that often sees prime comparison to Francis Ngannou’s protracted contract and fadeout.

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The legal war came to a close when Couture rehashed to return to the UFC due to being in his mid-40s. With UFC remaining the pioneer global MMA promotion, it does need to deviate its margin for crossover. There is no literal need to risk it and have Ngannou defeat a roster champion like Jon Jones. Couture wishes it wasn’t so, although, he isn’t too surprised either.

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Randy Couture ‘not surprised’ by UFC’s handling of Francis Ngannou story

Randy Couture isn’t surprised about the spat with Francis Ngannou given his own history. ‘Predator’ left the promotion as lineal heavyweight champion in January 2023 due to a protracted contract dispute. Ngannou fought for the right to fight at the same time as other provisions such as health insurance for boxers and a lawyer to represent boxers at contract rehashes.

Randy Couture weighs in on Francis Ngannou's departure and controlled narrative
Randy Couture weighs in on Francis Ngannou’s departure and controlled narrative (Source: X/ibtimes.com)

The French-Cameroonian later became the biggest free agency to join with rival PFL. Couture isn’t surprised considering the way his legacy has been treated by the promotion. The former heavyweight champ and Hall of Famer has very few UFC-produced highlights of him on YouTube today. The same goes for ex-UFC WMMA fighter Ronda Rousey facing a severe backlash after mammoth defeats. Subsequently, it’s all the same for Ngannou as well. 

I’m not surprised at all, ...They’ve done their best to try wash me out of the books as well. That’s how they treat anybody that doesn’t go along with their good old boys club. That’s the way they handle it and if you’re in the house with Dana, that’s how you’re gonna be treated...That’s just the way it is.
Randy Couture told Dylan Bowker in a Sportskeeda Exclusive interview (@skmmaoriginals)
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The omission of history is something Randy Couture has seen multiple times. With the recent Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund initiatives with LIV Golf, he hopes such a heavyweight fight is still on the cards. The Saudi GEA has had a good relationship with the UFC, and in recent times, has propelled the idea of Jon Jones vs. Ngannou. Couture hopes to see such a missed dream matchup someday.

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