The main reason why Francis Ngannou, and Jon Jones for that matter, aren’t in the UFC right now is simple, money. Both men wanted more money to fight, with Jones famously saying he wanted as much as Deontay Wilder to fight Ngannou, while Ngannou also wanted health insurance and more money for his opponents to help boost fighter pay across the board.

Whether or not Ngannou gets back on the same page as Dana White remains to be seen, but when he was asked if he would be willing to propose to the UFC that he wants to fight Jones rather than the other way around, Ngannou explained that it would simply be down to the contract and whether it works for all parties.

“I have no problem with contracts. I have a problem with the way the contract is being used. I still sign a contract, even if it’s not fighting. I’m a businessman, so I understand the concept of contract, which is an agreement between to people that have to assure they deliver something. Now, if we both deliver whatever is agreed on in the contract, I see no reason for us [not] to keep doing business. In fact, when you sign a good contract, you want to get your partner happy, to maybe re-sign. Like, ‘Okay, this has been such a good partnership. Why not re-sign? Why not re-do this? We are winning together, why not continue?’ So I really don’t have a problem with a contract itself. When I sign a contract, I make sure that I deliver. I honor my part of the contract… Bring me the contract, I look at it. If it’s right, I sign. It has to be right and fair, that’s all that I’m saying.”

Please credit “ESPN MMA” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

After Brock Lesnar lost to Oba Femi at WrestleMania 42 this past weekend, “The Beast” seemingly retired from professional wrestling when he left his gloves and boots in the ring and shared an emotional moment with his long-time manager Paul Heyman after the match. Before WrestleMania, it was initially reported that Lesnar would be entering retirement this year, but SummerSlam was the rumored destination for his final match due to the event taking place in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Therefore, many fans still believe that Lesnar could return to the ring for one last match, but according to a new report, the 48-year-old may have stepped out of the spotlight for good. 

On Thursday, WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select claims that there is a strong belief backstage that Lesnar is officially retired and that his actions on Sunday were to legitimately say goodbye to WWE. One contact within the company told WrestleVotes he’s still hoping to see Lesnar at “The Biggest Party Of The Summer,” and there’s still some ongoing speculation about one last match, but there’s been no indication that “The Conquerer” will wrestle in his hometown in August.

Initially, former World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER was the rumored opponent for Lesnar’s final WWE match, especially after “The Ring General” retired Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles in his pursuit of becoming the “Career Killer.” Additionally, seeds were planted for a potential feud between Lesnar and GUNTHER on “WWE Raw” three weeks ago when the Austrian star saved Heyman from an attack by Seth Rollins, who was looking for revenge on “The Oracle” for ordering The Vision to betray him. After GUNTHER helped Heyman, he voiced that he’s owed a favor from the ECW legend, which fans believed would be a match with Lesnar. This past weekend, GUNTHER defeated Rollins at WrestleMania and hasn’t been defeated in singles action since last year’s SummerSlam.

This past weekend, John Cena returned to WWE for the first time since retiring from professional wrestling when he took on the duties of hosting WrestleMania 42, but it seems like his next appearance for the promotion will be sooner than expected.

On the morning of his 49th birthday, Cena revealed that he will be in Tampa, Florida next month as he has something planned for Club WWE on the day of the company’s next Premium Live Event, Backlash. 

“Man if only it were 2023 again!! I might have different business at @WWE #Backlash Alas, the years pass. I am still gonna try to do something epic in Tampa for 5/9. I promised Club WWE something special… stay tuned.”

Man if only it were 2023 again!! I might have different business at @WWE #Backlash Alas, the years pass. I am still gonna try to do something epic in Tampa for 5/9. I promised Club WWE something special… stay tuned. https://t.co/I1Y9YiG06k

— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 23, 2026

Club WWE is an insider membership program that was launched earlier this month and is designed to bring fans closer to the promotion through exclusive access, rewards and experiences. Some of the perks include 24-hour ticket presale access to global WWE events, incentives at superstar meet-and-greets, bonus WWE content featuring inside scoops, extended cuts and backstage footage. Additionally, fans will have access to a members-only WWE Shop for exclusive collections and merchandise, a members-only community forum, a Premium Welcome Pack, and a points-based rewards system where digital and physical goods can be redeemed. 

Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders met to vote and approve the sale of the company to Paramount Skydance on Thursday, a date previously reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer. A new report by Variety revealed that the shareholders greenlit the deal, to the tune of $111 billion, for Paramount to acquire WBD.

According to Variety, the virtual meeting lasted just 10 minutes and shareholders voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of the deal. As previously reported, shareholders will get $31 per share in cash in the sale, though shareholders must have owned their shares of stock as of March 20.

Investors did not vote in favor of the large compensation packages CEO David Zaslav and other top executives are expected to receive. Despite shareholder unhappiness, the vote is non-binding, as Warner Bros. can go ahead with its planned payouts for Zaslav and others. According to Variety, the CEO is set to receive a severance of $34.2 million, with $517.2 million in equity, and more payouts for things like continued health coverage reimbursement, as well as shares he still owns.

Paramount put forth the offer at the end of February, after the sale of Warner Bros. to Netflix looked as though it were a done deal. Netflix redrew its bid after the Paramount offer was seen as superior. The news of the sale drew headlines in the wrestling world almost immediately, due to WWE’s involvement with Netflix and the fact Warner Bros. Discovery is a parent company of AEW.

Paramount is reportedly set to take over WBD’s stake small stake in AEW, which was made public throughout the sale process. As for streaming services, it was also revealed HBO Max and Paramount+ will be combined into one service. While AEW streams on Max, the TKO-owned UFC streams exclusively on Paramount+. It’s still unclear how things will proceed when the sale is final.