Francis Ngannou wanted to fight Jon Jones in the UFC, but believes the responsibility for the fight not happening falls on the UFC rather than on himself or Jones.
Francis Ngannou expressed his desire to fight Jon Jones while they were both in the UFC, suggesting that Jones likely shared the same wish. However, despite their mutual interest, the highly anticipated heavyweight clash never materialized. Ngannou believes that the blame lies with the UFC rather than himself or Jones. He revealed that he had been pushing for the fight after his victory over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, anticipating that the UFC would likely book a trilogy fight between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic.
During Jones’ hiatus from competition due to a contract dispute with the UFC, Ngannou rose to the top of the heavyweight division by defeating Stipe Miocic. Despite his repeated expressions of interest in facing Jones, Ngannou claims he was told that Jones wasn’t interested, despite public statements from the former light heavyweight champion to the contrary. Ngannou now understands that the UFC was leveraging the situation to create a public war of words between the fighters.
Rather than accusing Jones of ducking the potential confrontation, Ngannou puts the responsibility on the UFC, stating that the promotion ultimately decided against booking the fight for unknown reasons. Although Ngannou still desires to face Jones, it would likely require the UFC to collaborate with a rival organization, as Ngannou is now signed to the PFL. However, UFC CEO Dana White has vehemently shut down any questions about a possible co-promotion, suggesting that Ngannou may have to seek out a different opponent. Despite the setbacks, Ngannou remains hopeful for the possibility of facing Jones, expressing his willingness to work with the PFL to make the fight happen.