WASHINGTON D.C. — It’s a classic case of he said, he said when it
comes to who flinched first.
Speaking at the
“Battle of the Giants” press conference on Thursday, Francis
Ngannou was asked about reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship champion
Jon
Jones, who won the belt against Ciryl Gane
after Ngannou vacated it with his departure to the Professional Fighters League. While some have
claimed Ngannou was the reason the two never competed, the
Cameroonian thinks it is the other way around, with the current
champion at his former promotion the one who opted against a fight
between them.
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Since leaving the UFC, the promotion, run by CEO Dana White, has
suggested repeatedly that Ngannou didn’t want to face Jones.
Ngannou respectfully disagrees.
“Well, I believe that’s the new narrative, because he [White] needs
to say something either way,” Ngannou remarked. “But as far as I’m
concerned, it was Jon Jones who
didn’t want to fight with me according to [the UFC]. So many times
that we sit down with them on the meeting, [they said], ‘Oh it
can’t happen, Jon Jones
doesn’t want to fight anymore. He’s living in Albuquerque, he’s
living his small life, he has a lot of money in his bank account.’
I think the guy who controls the narrative can say whatever he
wants, but that’s just the narrative.”
With both men in separate promotions, it is unlikely they will
square off. The UFC has not co-promoted with another organization
in quite some time, other than a one-off trade with One Championship to exchange Demetrious
Johnson for Ben Askren.
In the war of words, the PFL superstar wants it to be known that he
did not decline to fight anyone, including Jones.
Ngannou will make his PFL debut in a pay-per-view show on Oct. 19
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “The Predator” will collide with PFL
heavyweight champion Renan
Ferreira in a battle between two men with knockout rates above
70%. The two met face-to-face for the first time on Thursday at the
press conference.
Although no official announcement has been made, it is rumored that
Jones will return to the cage against ex-heavyweight champion
Stipe
Miocic in November at Madison Square Garden. Jones currently
holds the UFC heavyweight belt—although it is not undisputed, as
Tom
Aspinall holds the interim strap. If it comes to fruition, they
will vie for Jones’ heavyweight throne in a match that some expect
may be a double retirement encounter.