Dana White nearly cut Francis Ngannou from the UFC years before he left of his own volition.

Earlier this month, Ngannou made his long-awaited return to MMA, knocking out Renan Ferreira in the first round of their heavyweight matchup at PFL: Battle of the Giants. The fight was Ngannou’s first since leaving the UFC as heavyweight champion in 2023 and re-ignited a simmering feud between the 38-year-old fighter and his former boss.

The basis of the dispute between White and Ngannou is part of the reason why “The Predator” chose not to re-sign with the UFC based on the terms that were offered. During a Power Slap press conference on Thursday, White doubled down on his declaration that Ngannou could have made more money staying in the UFC, but this time added a new wrinkle: He actually wanted to cut Ngannou from the promotion in 2018.

“Francis is all about the money,” White said. “Francis left because he knew that if he fought Jon Jones and didn’t win, it would hurt his chances of making the money that he wanted to make. But realistically, his deal was bigger here. His deal was bigger here if he stayed in the UFC. … They can deny it all they want, why the f*ck would I lie? Why do I care? It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.

“I was going to cut Francis when he lost two in a row. I was going to cut him. Somebody around here begged me not to do it. So it wouldn’t have mattered to me, one way or the other. There’s a much deeper story to this whole thing and he would have made more money if he stayed in the UFC.”

Ngannou dropped back-to-back fights in 2018, falling to Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title in their first encounter and then losing a decision to Derrick Lewis six months later in a fight widely considered to be one of the worst in modern UFC history.

Of course after those losses, Ngannou went on his current run, stringing together four first-round knockouts to earn a second crack at Miocic. He won the rematch via second-round knockout to claim the UFC heavyweight title.

Ngannou then defended his title against Ciryl Gane and while many fans hoped he would return to the promotion for a showdown against Jon Jones, he opted to sign with the PFL in free agency.

For White, that was the end of his focus on Ngannou.

“He didn’t want to fight Jon Jones, that’s a fact, and we’re moving on,” White said. “Obviously, everybody loves Tom Aspinall and wants to see Jones and Aspinall, or Stipe and Aspinall. I feel like when Stipe and Jon were young — Jon was 23, youngest champion in UFC history — somebody gave him an opportunity. I think that Stipe and Jon, whoever wins should give Aspinall the same opportunity they had.”

Jones and Miocic are set to fight for the heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 309 next month. With interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall waiting for his shot at the undisputed title, the bout has faced criticism, particularly with both Miocic and Jones potentially teasing retirement afterward.

But for White, he believes that’s just posturing and fans will ultimately get the fight they want for Aspinall.

“I think both Jon and Stipe will say they’re going to retire because they’re going to start negotiating,” White said. “And what the negotiation is, we will get the deal done.”

UFC 309 takes place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Alex Albon will ‘lean towards’ using Franco Colapinto‘s set-up at the Mexico City Grand Prix as he looks for a more harmonious balance with his upgraded Williams Formula 1 car.

Williams introduced a comprehensive series of upgrades for the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, which Albon used to good effect at the Monza and Baku races, where he scored points in both.

The Anglo-Thai driver has been more closely matched since Colapinto was promoted to the line-up in place of Logan Sargeant, and Albon suggested that his own side of the garage had perhaps struggled to get its head around the new upgrade package in comparison to Colapinto’s engineers.

Albon will move towards Colapinto’s set-up for this weekend to determine if it alleviates his issues, particularly in lower-speed corners.

“We definitely have a different car balance with the new upgrades that we brought onto the car. We’re still yet to really fully understand them. 

“We can see it in the data, we can see where we’re just trying to get to grips with what’s going on. 

“This will be the first weekend where I’m just kind of leaning a little bit more towards what the other side of the garage has been doing and just trying to see if that will help fix some of the issues that I’ve been having. 

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

“I think actually around Mexico it’s going to be really important for us to try to get right because, on paper, the areas I’ve been struggling with are very corner-specific, and they’re corners that Mexico has a lot of, these kind of low-speed corners.”

Asked if the brake locking issue he had struggled with was a new issue with the upgrades, Albon explained that it had “become more apparent. So that’s kind of close to the area I’ve been working on.”

He added that it was “nice” to have a stronger team-mate in the second car to help fill in any performance shortfalls, and offered a reference point for set-ups for the team to compare.

Albon noted that Colapinto’s ability to score in Austin with 10th place “elevates everyone”, and felt the challenge provided by the Argentine was not a new experience.

“It’s nice. We’ve had the simulator working over the weekend – just trying to, over the last few days, have a look at the differences. 

“But it elevates me, it elevates everyone in the team. When I have a bad weekend, we’re still scoring points, so that’s very positive.

“No [it’s not a new experience], I think if you go back a few more years, you can [see I’ve had pressure]. At Williams, sure, but it’s how it’s always been. It’s how you race. It’s how you race since you’re nine years old. So, it’s alright.”

This latest rescue act may be the most important knock in Smith’s short career. It is all the more impressive given the last match, England’s defeat in the second Test in Multan, was his worst with the Three Lions on his chest.

A struggle with the bat – he made 21 and six – was in step with the rest of the England team, but the drop of a simple chance off Brydon Carse on the third afternoon was perhaps their last hope of getting into the game.

Smith probably won’t drop an easier one in his time as a Test cricketer, the miss made worse by Joe Root putting down another catch in the same over. Ben Stokes let out his frustration on the field, a rarity for the England skipper, who later apologised to the team in the dressing room.

“You move on to another game,” said Smith. “I didn’t score the runs I would have liked and dropped a catch which could have proven crucial, but those things happen in sport.

“There will definitely be times where that will happen again, but it’s dusting yourself off and coming again to the next game with a smile on your face, looking to enjoy playing and trying to influence results.”

Short of catching bullets in his teeth, there is very little Smith can do to persuade those who believe Ben Foakes should still be in the England team as the best pure gloveman in the country.

As the second-choice keeper to Foakes at Surrey, Smith will be all too aware of the difference in their respective abilities.

Smith is hardly a stopper to whom England have attached a pair of gloves. He has come through the ranks as a keeper. Most importantly, he was chosen for innings like Rawalpindi, the kind of knock Foakes is not suited to play.

England found themselves in a similar situation against India in Ranchi earlier this year, in need of runs, with their wicketkeeper only afforded the lower-order for company. India dropped the field and Foakes was powerless to penetrate it.

In contrast, Smith was able to move through the gears against Pakistan. He was beaten in England’s six-hitting competition in Wednesday’s training session, even though he landed the biggest blow of anyone in the squad. On Thursday there was no doubt over the identity of the maximum man, as Smith plonked half a dozen over the rope.

“It was more luck than judgement, because on another day some of them are out,” he said. “That’s how I like to play my cricket, I’ll take it on regardless of the field. If I feel that’s the best option, I’ll be taking it.”

ABU DHABI – Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix still hopes to see Leandro Higo soon.

Mix (20-1) was scheduled to defend his title against Higo (23-6) in the Bellator Championship Series: Paris main event on Nov. 16, but the event was canceled. In the meantime, Mix has opted to remain active by competing at ADXC 6 on Friday, where he’ll face former ONE Championship title holder Kairat Akhmetov in a no-gi grappling match.

“I want to stay active, and just because I’m staying active does not mean Leandro Higo is off the hook,” Mix told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “When they rebook this, he will be done in two rounds, and I’m hoping he’s watching me this weekend. … I feel like this fight will be rebooked early next year, and we’ll see how it goes, but I’m ready for it.”

Mix hasn’t gotten official word yet on what’s next but is open to defending his belt against anyone – including Raufeon Stots, who called for a rematch after submitting Marcos Breno this past Saturday at PFL: Battle of the Giants.

“I want them all, every one of them,” Mix said. “I’ve taken out everyone in the top five of my division, I’ve fought Magomedov twice, and it doesn’t matter. I’ve seen Raufeon Stots win. There’s a ton of guys out there, and it doesn’t matter who, it just matters when. You can send anybody, but you can’t send anyone you want back.”

PFL founder Donn Davis alluded to MMA Fighting that the Bellator brand might no longer exist in 2025. When asked his reaction, Mix said he just hopes to keep drawing top-level competition.

“As long as I keep getting these big fights, like there’s humongous names over there at PFL that I personally like,” Mix said. “Brendan Loughnane’s been killing it, he’s in the finale this year, he’s a world champion in the past. There are so many exciting fights, so I haven’t heard that.

“But no matter what it is, I’m just excited for the future. Like I said, I’m in my prime of my career, and I just want to prove to the world what I know, and that’s I’m the best 135-pound bantamweight walking in the world today, right now.”

The player rating in EA Sports’ “College Football 25” is starting to resemble the Heisman leaderboard.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty’s overall rating in the video game increased by a point, moving up to a 97 overall to tie him for the highest-rated player in “College Football 25,” EA Sports shared in its latest ratings update on Thursday. Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Michigan‘s Will Johnson were previously the only other players to have a 97 rating in the game. Neither of their ratings moved in the latest update.

Jeanty has taken the college football world by storm this fall. He leads the country in rushing (1,248 yards) by more than 200 yards and is averaging a whopping 9.9 yards per carry. He’s also tied for first among all running backs in rushing touchdowns, reaching the end zone 17 times this year. Additionally, Jeanty has rushed for at least 180 yards in five of Boise State’s first six games.

As Jeanty has dominated his competition this season, he has quickly surged up the odds board for the Heisman. Entering Week 9, he is the favorite to win the award at +220. Hunter was close behind Jeanty a couple of weeks ago, with his odds of winning the award moving to +350 on Oct. 6. But a shoulder injury has limited Hunter’s snaps over Colorado’s past two games, causing his odds to drop to +2200. 

Miami (Fla.) quarterback Cam Ward now has the second-best odds to win the Heisman (+260), and he saw his rating in “College Football 25” increase on Thursday as well. It was bumped by two points, making him a 93 overall. Ward leads the nation in passing yards (2,538) and passing touchdowns (24) to go with 190 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. 

While Ward is second on the Heisman odds board, he isn’t the highest-rated quarterback in “College Football 25.” Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is the highest-rated quarterback in the game, with his rating improving by a point to 94 in the latest update. Sanders is fifth in the nation in passing (2,268) to go with 19 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s rating also improved by a point, making his overall rating a 93.

Is Shedeur Sanders the best QB in College Football?

Several other notable players had their overall rating increased in Thursday’s update. Star freshmen wide receivers Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State and Ryan Williams of Alabama were both bumped up to a 90 overall. With the increase, both are now among the 13 highest-rated wide receivers in the game. 

A pair of Penn State stars also had their overall ratings increased amid the team’s 6-0 start. Edge rusher Abdul Carter’s rating increased by three points, giving him a 94 overall. His increase makes him the second-highest-rated edge rusher in the game, trailing only Tennessee‘s James Pearce. Quarterback Drew Allar’s rating increased by two points, giving him a 91. Allar is one of the seven highest-rated quarterbacks in the game with the increase.

Other notable player ratings increases include Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. Manning’s rating was bumped two points, giving him an 89 overall rating in the game after he impressed in two starts earlier this season. Johnson’s rating increased by four points, making him a 91 overall. Johnson is second in the nation in rushing (1,035 yards) and has rushed for 13 touchdowns this season. 

San Diego State edge rusher Trey White had the biggest overall rating increase in the latest update. His rating improved 15 points, moving up to an 88 overall. White is tied for the most sacks in the nation (11) and has 32 total tackles to go with a forced fumble.

There were also some players who saw their ratings decrease in the latest update. Both Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita saw their respective ratings decrease by a point. Beck, who’s now a 91 overall, has thrown for 1,993 yards and 15 touchdowns this season but has also thrown eight interceptions over the past four games. Fifita, whose rating is now at an 88, has thrown for more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) this season amid Arizona’s 3-4 start.

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