MMA superstar Jon Jones has cleared the air about his changed opinion of Francis Ngannou.
When Ngannou opted to leave the UFC as heavyweight champion, rather than re-sign after he waited for his contract expired, Jones was initially supportive, despite the two being in talks to fight each other. He offered solidarity to “The Predator” while he himself was trying to come to terms with the UFC for his heavyweight debut.
Jon Jones Has a Change of Heart
While the initial response was positive, Jon Jones was recently seen in an interview, changing his tune on the opinion he had of Francis Ngannou leaving the UFC. Rather than continue to say that Ngannou made the right decision to chase his worth, the former light heavyweight champion suggested that Ngannou left at the perfect time to avoid a fight with him.
These comments led to some calling out Jones, for the seemingly hypocritical response that came only a few weeks after messages of support. However, he was quick to point out with a post on Twitter, that this was not the case at all, and he only changed his opinion after hearing some of the comments Ngannou made about the heavyweight division’s future.
“I found an interview of Francis talking about he’ll forever be the undisputed champion because no one beat him. Once I saw that, my tone changed. I thought I would tell how I really felt. He did make the right decision, he left before I came back. Smart move!” Jones wrote.
It would make sense to think that Jon Jones has mixed emotions about Francis Ngannou, with the human side of him wanting to see his colleague get paid his worth, but the competitive side of him wanting to fight the dangerous champion. For now though, it seems that fans will only be left to ponder what a bout between the two would look like.