UFC president Dana White said after a fight card Saturday that the promotion released heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou from his contract, and booked Jon Jones against Ciryl Gane on March 4 in the main event of UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the vacant heavyweight title.

White said after the UFC Vegas 67 card the UFC had offered Ngannou a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in UFC history, but that Ngannou had turned it down. He also said that Ngannou’s injured knee still isn’t healed and that he wouldn’t have been ready to fight in March.

White also said that Jones had signed a new eight-fight deal.

News of the Jones-Gane fight first leaked as a result of the video boards outside of T-Mobile Arena, which were scrolling an ad featuring the bout. White said that was a mistake both by arena officials as well as UFC employees and wasn’t supposed to be released when it was.

The board was displaying the UFC ad prior to a Las Vegas Golden Knights’ NHL game against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Ngannou last fought when he scored a decision over Gane on Jan. 22, 2022, in Anaheim, California, at the Honda Center for the undisputed heavyweight title. He said after the fight he had a knee injury, and he had surgery shortly afterward.

“We’ve been working on a new agreement with Francis…