Francis Ngannou Unsure If Jon Jones Will Return To Fighting

Francis Ngannou is just as confused as anyone else when it comes to the fighting future of the man who’s supposed to be his next opponent, Jon Jones.

‘The Predator’ became undisputed at heavyweight by beating his former teammate, Ciryl Gane, over five rounds at UFC 270 on January 22.

Jones hasn’t fought for almost two years after defending his 205lb title against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247.

Since then, Jones has been bulking up while trying and failing to come to terms with the UFC on a new contract.

During a recent appearance on Bruce Buffer’s ‘IT’S TIME!!!’ podcast, Ngannou seemed frustrated with talk of Jones who to him seems more interested in picking fights on social media than in MMA.

“I think the first thing we have to know is if Jon Jones is going to fight or not,” Ngannou said. “Because actually, he finds himself a better battle on Twitter than in the octagon.”

Francis Ngannou Thinks One Heavyweight Title Fight Per Year Is Enough

The Cameroonian knockout artist faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after entering UFC 271 with a grade 3 MCL and damage to his ACL. Ngannou revealed he will undergo surgery on his knee in March. It’s a procedure that could rule him out for the rest of 2022, but the man himself doesn’t see an issue with that.

“The past has shown that in the heavyweight division, they can wait for a year for a title defense,” Ngannou said. “We’ve been having one title defense (per year) in the heavyweight division for a long time, so I don’t think that’s the issue.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Ngannou’s contract expired at UFC 270 but a championship clause within it ties the heavyweight king to the company for three more fights or one year – whatever comes first. Ngannou has expressed his willingness to sit out for a year rather than fight on his current deal which is only worth $600,000 per fight.

Do you think we’ll ever see Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones?