Francis Ngannou’s tumultuous history with the UFC and Jon Jones hasn’t clouded his judgment of Jones’ decision to not fight Tom Aspinall.
Whilst Francis Ngannou was reigning over the UFC heavyweight division, fans salivated over the thought of a potential fight between ‘The Predator’ and Jon Jones.
Despite that, his UFC exit of course came about unceremoniously as he and UFC CEO Dana White have made it clear the disdain they have for each other.
Francis Ngannou bizarrely backs Jon Jones’ recent decision
‘Bones’ Jones recently returned to the Octagon after over a year out, where he finished Stipe Miocic in the third round of their UFC 309 main event title fight.
After White spent years claiming that Ngannou ducked a fight against Jones, the current UFC champion didn’t help his boss’ story when he made it clear he has no desire to unify the title against Tom Aspinall, with fans now labeling him as a ‘duck’.
However, the 37-year-old teased the fanbase when he admitted that if he is paid ‘f*ck you money’, then he would consider fighting Aspinall next.
Despite their bitter history, Ngannou has bizarrely backed Jones’ decision to not fight Aspinall, stating that he believes Jones is right in not needing to fight the 31-year-old interim champion.
“I think this is about a negotiation situation here that we don’t know the ups and downs and I think he’s in the position to claim what he wants,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports.
“As he has said, Aspinall needs that fight, (Jones) doesn’t need it. And when you look at it, it’s pretty much true. There’s nothing that he’s going to make in that fight other than money but for Aspinall, that will be everything,” Ngannou continued.
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Jon Jones ties Anderson Silva’s UFC record
If the UFC continues to make it clear that Jones’ next fight must be against Aspinall, the heavyweight champion has admitted that he will likely retire.
Despite that, with his recent win, he tied Anderson Silva’s record for the most finishes in title fights, and with ‘The Spider’ having already retired, Jones could set a new record with another title fight finish.
“From idolizing Anderson Silva as a young man to now being tied with him for the most finishes in title fights – it’s surreal. I grew up watching his greatness, dreaming of one day achieving even a fraction of what he’s done… My personal GOAT,” Jones stated in a post on X.
Although Jones is hopeful of securing a super-fight against Alex Pereira next instead of fighting Aspinall, the interim champion recently teased that he has already begun negotiations with the UFC for his next fight.
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