“I was the one requesting Jon Jones” Francis Ngannou Tried to book the heavyweight showdown
In a PFL press conference, the heavyweight king Francis Ngannou responded to Dana White’s recent words on a potential Jon Jones fight.
Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones
UFC president Dana White recently said that the UFC attempted to book Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight title, but Ngannou didn’t want the fight. In the past, Dana White has explained that Jones was asking for too much money, but more recently he has different answers.
When asked about Dana White’s most recent comments on a Jon Jones fight, Ngannou explained:
“I was the one requesting Jon Jones. It was Jon Jones who didn’t want to fight me according to them. Every time they have the sit-down meeting they tell me ‘It can’t happen, Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight anymore’ … The guy who controls the narrative can say whatever he wants”
Francis Ngannou won the UFC heavyweight title in 2021 and vacated it in 2022. Jon Jones did not move up to heavyweight until 2023 and does not have any fights booked. Ngannou, the lineal champion, will face Renan Ferreira live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 19 in the PFL. Since Jones has been inactive, Ngannou has taken multiple boxing matches against top-ranked athletes.
On trying to deal with Jon Jones in booking him against Ngannou, in 2021, Dana White had said:
“We tried to work with Jon, and we eventually have to move on because realistically, and in all honesty, Derrick Lewis is the guy who deserves the fight. Derrick Lewis is a heavyweight, he beat Francis Ngannou, he’s looked good in his last couple of fights, he’s ranked in the top three, I think, and he deserves the fight. That’s the fight that should happen. We’ll just roll and do what we do. When Jon’s ready, he’ll let us know.”
