Francis Ngannou recently insisted that he tried his best to get matched against Jon Jones, but claimed his efforts were proven futile due to Jones and the UFC’s consistent sidestepping. The Cameroonian was expected to face ‘Bones’ before he departed the promotion in January.
At UFC 285, Jones returned to the octagon to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight strap. The bout marked the end of Jones’ three-year octagon hiatus and was his first time entering the cage as a heavyweight.
‘Bones’ lived up to his dominant reputation as he defeated ‘Bon Gamin’ in just over two minutes. However, many within the MMA community have wondered how he would’ve fared against Francis Ngannou had that superfight materialized.
The debate among fans was fueled by both heavyweights firing shots at each other publicly in the aftermath.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Francis Ngannou discussed the failed matchup against Jon Jones and shared his side of the story. ‘The Predator’ claimed:
“I wanted that fight as well. I was the one that initiated that fight, that idea over two years ago. I wanted that fight, but where was Jon Jones at that time? I don’t know. Nobody seems to be interested, even Dana White… I chased that fight for as long as I could.”
Watch the full interview below:
Francis Ngannou opens up about facing Deontay Wilder in a boxing ring
While Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones may not happen anytime soon, combat sports fans could witness the Cameroonian go head-to-head against Deontay Wilder in the boxing ring. ‘The Predator’ recently revealed that talks are underway for him to fight ‘The Bronze Bomber’ in a two-fight deal.
Since becoming a free agent, the former UFC heavyweight champion has had a lot of interest from the boxing world. The 36-year-old has made no secret of his eagerness to face a high-profile pugilist and has pursued fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
It seems Wilder is now the frontrunner to welcome Ngannou into boxing. In the same interview, ‘The Predator’ opened up about a potential boxing match against Wilder and revealed Africa as a possible destination for the fight. He stated:
“We are looking into [Deontay Wilder] because he’s available. He’s ready for that. He’s very excited about [a fight]. He wants it. So, we are looking into that. That’s something I’m very excited about. We even discussed a potential one fight in Africa and one fight somewhere else. Why not even the two fights in Africa?”
Follow us on Twitter to get regular sports updates.