UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was originally assumed set to fight the former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, for his first title defense, but negotiations fell through earlier this year. Now, Ngannou isn’t losing sleep anymore if a fight with Jones doesn’t end up happening in both of their careers.
Ngannou will face Ciryl Gane early next year in a unification bout, almost a full year after he earned the belt against Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. He knocked Miocic out in their rematch and finally realized a championship dream.
In the aftermath of Jones’ latest legal issues in Las Vegas, where he was arrested on domestic violence charges, Ngannou has doubts that we’ll ever see a matchup between two of the biggest stars in the UFC.
“At this point, I don’t know much about what will happen in the future,” Ngannou told Ariel Helwani during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour. “But I don’t stress about that, what will happen will happen. I wish that (the Jones) fight will happen, but I don’t know about it anymore.”
“If everything goes right, there are so many fights that you can do that would be a good fight, so you let everything go.”
Francis Ngannou was expected to face Jon Jones for his first title defense, but contract negotiations never materalized
Ngannou and Jones have both been at odds with the UFC brass over contract negotiations, most notably Jones, who hasn’t fought since early 2020. Jones vacated the light heavyweight belt after defeating Dominick Reyes in a close fight to focus on a potential run at heavyweight.
Now, Ngannou will face Gane at UFC 270 and Jones’ UFC future remains uncertain. It’s amazing how much can change within the span of just a few months.
Do you think Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones will ever happen?