Why Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fell off? Coach spills tea behind cut-throat UFC negotiations
Francis Ngannou's coach gets into detail about Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight negotiations during his time as the heavyweight champion.
Follow Us
Coach accuses UFC of manipulating Francis Ngannou's championship reign while making the Jon Jones fight (via Imago)
One of the biggest fights that UFC fans never got to see was the Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou heavyweight clash. During his prime as the UFC champion, Ngannou was expected to defend his belt against ‘Bones.’ However, before that, the ‘Predator’ left the promotion. Since then, the narrative around this fight has gone through a variety of shifts.
After Ngannou’s fallout with UFC, CEO Dana White made sure to spread the word that the former champion ducked Jones. This new revelation was different from White’s previous comments where he backed Ngannou to beat Jones. In a recent interview, the fighter’s coach, Erick Nicksick, shares everything that happened behind the scenes about the fight.
I remember Dana looking right at me, he goes can you have him ready in July to fight Jon? And then it was like, ‘Oh, Can’t get a hold of Jon. Jon’s not ready. So, it’s just kept getting pushed back.
Eric Nicksick via The Casual MMA Podcast
Nicksick mentioned that in order to fulfill their title fight criteria, the UFC accused Ngannou of avoiding fights and made an interim championship. However, this wasn’t consistent with White’s claims about Ngannou being scared of fighting Jones. According to the fighter, White had always controlled the narrative against him in order to manipulate the fans.
This has resulted in a nasty back and forth between both parties, which has even reached personal remarks. However, as for the fans, all they want to see is Jones fighting Ngannou. Although the chances are slim, anything can happen in the world of MMA fighting.
Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou cross-platform fight
Since leaving the UFC, Francis Ngannou has participated in two high-profile boxing bouts where he has lost. Despite the losses, the fighter has allegedly made more money than in his whole UFC career. While Dana White questioned the statement, Ngannou was even ready to show the receipts to prove his point.
Recently, Ngannou made his PFL heavyweight debut and captured the championship in dominant fashion. Jones was present in the audience and gave the fighter his credit. This has now reestablished the potential fight between the champions. According to the Cameroonian-French, UFC could make the fight if they want.
It’s possible but they have to go to the PFL…The PFL is down for that.
Francis Ngannou via JRE MMA Show #146
In the meantime, Jon Jones has now successfully defended his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Though many critics didn’t like that fight and wanted Tom Aspinall in the place of Miocic, it was definitely a massive success for Jones. Given the circumstances, fight fans can only hope for a fight between Jones and Ngannou; however, it’s not that easy.
Stay Updated!
Ameetosh Dash
(898 Articles Published)