While the current narrative from the UFC is that Francis
Ngannou ran away from a potential Jon Jones
fight, the former heavyweight champion was the person who initially
pursued that matchup.
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“Look, I wanted that fight as well. I’m the one that initiated that
fight over two years ago,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “I wanted that
fight, but where was Jon Jones at
that time? I don’t know. Nobody seems interested, even Dana White.
Nobody seems to be interested. They always find a way to go around
it.
“Today, it’s not about that fight, it’s not that they wanted to
give me that fight, it’s the price it was going to cost me to get
that fight. I chased that fight for as long as I could and, listen,
I learned in life that you have to let it go. You have to let
things go, otherwise, they’ll cut your hand and take your hand
away. I wanted that fight so bad, and I couldn’t have it at any
cost. That’s what I will always say.”
When the two sides were unable to come to terms for a bout vs.
Jones at UFC 285, Ngannou was released from his contract and
stripped of his heavyweight crown. Meanwhile, Jones returned to
action for the first time in three years and claimed the vacant
belt with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane.
After the victory, Jones dismissed Ngannou as a “p—-y” at the UFC
285 post-fight press conference. The derogatory nature of Jones’
remarks don’t affect Ngannou, however.
“Jon is Jon, and I’m me, I don’t care,” Ngannou said. “I’ve been
saying this for a little while, I am cool. I’m doing good, I did
what was best for me, I’m happy. I wish that fight had happened
because I feel like there’s a lot of anger, a lot of unsatisfaction
on the other end — which, I don’t know — but I can’t control that.
I can just control me.”
Ngannou said that he is currently in talks for a potential
two-fight deal to face boxing heavyweight Deontay
Wilder, and the first bout could happen as soon as this summer.
While UFC president Dana White has said that Ngannou vs. Jones will
never happen, “The Predator” isn’t closing the door completely on
that fight happenign down the road.
“I’ve tried to manage this as gentle as I could. I did everything
in my power in order to move forward, and it didn’t work,” he said.
“I’ll never close the door, but now, it’s not something we can
discuss because it has become very personal. I’ve just been
listening to them talk about it. They’re upset, there’s a lot of
anger out there, but I’m good.”