Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury & 4 other fantasy matchups that didn't happen because of Dana White

#2. Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Before Khabib Nurmagomedov's sudden retirement from MMA, a matchup with UFC welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre was one of the most widely discussed dream fights.

Nurmagomedov once described St-Pierre as a fighter whom his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, respected and admired more than any other mixed martial artist. Furthermore, 'The Eagle' claimed that the one fight his late father one day hoped his son would earn was a bout with the Canadian great.

A matchup between the two would have likely been one of the biggest fights in MMA history. Nurmagomedov was the undefeated lightweight champion and had never even been dropped, hurt, or cut in the octagon. St-Pierre is a legend who captured championships at both welterweight and middleweight, avenging every single loss of his career.

Aiming to be the only UFC fighter to capture titles across three different divisions, 'Rush' was eager to fight Nurmagomedov, just as 'The Eagle' yearned to prove his own greatness against his late father's favorite fighter.

Dana White, however, had other plans. The UFC president has not forgiven St-Pierre for forfeiting the middleweight title after defeating Michael Bisping for the championship at UFC 217. According to White, St-Pierre had agreed to defend the championship he'd won, but instead relinquished it.

Fearing a repeat of the same incident should 'Rush' defeat Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title, Dana White openly expressed his disinterest in the bout. Thus, the fight never materialized, and when White attempted to use the matchup to later entice the undefeated Russian out of retirement, it was too late.

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#1. Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury

Francis Ngannou is one of the UFC's first three African champions, alongside Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya. Usman is a power-wrestler, Adesanya is an elusive counter-striker, and Ngannou is a terrifying knockout artist with crippling punching power.

Prior to pursuing a career in mixed martial arts, 'The Predator' first dreamt of a career in boxing. It was a dream that gained even more prominence after the Cameroonian achieved MMA success, instilling in him the belief that he could accomplish the same in the sport of boxing.

So, when a dispute over fighter pay ensued between Dana White and Francis Ngannou, it led to more issues surfacing. Ngannou, now the UFC heavyweight champion, had contractual demands that included the freedom to pursue boxing bouts.

In particular, the Cameroonian sought a matchup with undefeated heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, who expressed mutual interest in facing Ngannou in a boxing match with small, four-ounce gloves. The matchup generated a fair amount of interest, with Fury even calling Ngannou into the ring following his dominant win over Dillian Whyte.

Dana White was quick to express his annoyance with the proposed matchup. He described crossover fights as stupid and buried Ngannou's boxing skills by citing how the Cameroonian had wrestled Ciryl Gane.