The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division hasn’t quite been the same since Francis Ngannou decided to pursue other interests, although Jon Jones‘ return to the Octagon and successful pursuit of the heavyweight belt has made things interesting.
Jones, who improved his career MMA record to 28-1 with a third-round spinning back kick knockout of Stipe Miocic last month, has been rumored to face upcoming challenger Tom Aspinall next.
This past weekend Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, sent an unmistakable message to Jones amid discussions of the Rochester, New York native’s next fight.
Ngannou’s bold social media message is rekindling hopes for a UFC megafight the likes of which hasn’t been seen in years.
“Blessings make haters uncomfortable, but they can’t change it,” Francis Ngannou said. “There’s only one fight, the right fight that will multiply your blessings. #NgannouVSJones,” the France and Cameroon native said in his post.
Ngannou’s post was shared in response to Jones’ Nov. 28 rant in response to fans who’ve criticized him in recent weeks for “ducking” Aspinall and other top contenders. “Crazy how being called a ‘duck’ pays better than most of your Internet tough guys will make in a lifetime,” Jones said.
“Two fights in four years and still one of the biggest names in the sport? That’s not ducking, that’s winning,” Jones said. “God’s blessings hit different, stay mad.” Ngannou has not fought in the UFC since January 2022, when he defeated Ciryl Gane in a five-round unanimous decision.
This past October, Francis Ngannou said that UFC CEO Dana White was standing in the way of a potential megafight vs. Jones. “I think Dana’s trying to make things up to buy good faith in the position he has lost,” Ngannou said, referencing Ngannou’s decision to leave the UFC.
“Dana has lost in this situation…and he cannot stand it. Bro, I won everything: I left. “It’s been almost two years, and the guy is still out there, he can’t live without hounding me. Regardless of everything that happened, I’m not about him.” Ngannou went on to say that White has an issue with him.
“The guy can’t stand me,” Ngannou added. “I don’t know what his problem is. He can make everything up. That is his problem. I think he needs to make peace with himself because this situation is kind of weird.”