Francis Ngannou addresses narrative of him running from a fight against Jon Jones
Francis Ngannou addressed the ongoing narrative of him running from a fight with Jon Jones and whether he wanted to fight him in the UFC.
While speaking with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Ngannou shared his thoughts on 'Bones' submission win over Ciryl Gane and the comments made during his post-fight press conference. He mentioned that he wasn't ducking the two-division champion when he chose to decline the promotion's contract offer and noted that he would be willing to fight him more than once.
He said:
"There is not a fight on Earth that I would back down for, I don't care. I go there and whatever happen, happen. It's the sport. And definitely Jon Jones is not the guy, I mean, he might be the best fighter ever, but it's not the guy that I'm running away from, no. not him. I will fight Jon Jones twice a month" [10:19 - 10:45]
Ngannou's reaction to Jones' title win 😅
(via @francis_ngannou) https://t.co/guWzad8D3I
'The Predator' also fired back at the thought of him avoiding a fight with 'Bones' by referring to UFC president Dana White's press conference after he defeated Miocic to become the new heavyweight champion at UFC 260, saying:
"We know Jon Jones with his drama. You know, I think he's just being dramatic. He's been out for how long, three years or something? And I have been calling him [out]. I remember even after I fought Stipe [Miocic], Dana said if it's him watching that fight, he should move down to 185 [lbs]...But I don't take that seriously. [9:49 - 10:16]
Until Ngannou signs with another promotion, he will continue to be linked to Jones as the fight is still a possibility because he is a free agent.
Check out the full interview:
Francis Ngannou believes Stipe Miocic will be a tougher challenge for Jon Jones
Ngannou thinks Miocic would be a much tougher matchup for Jones 👀
(via @bokamotoESPN) https://t.co/toaQJWVvhB
Despite Jon Jones' impressive performance against Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut at UFC 285, Francis Ngannou isn't counting out Stipe Miocic and believes that he will make for a tougher matchup.
During the affromentioned interview, 'The Predator' mentioned that Miocic is more well-rounded than Gane and will challenge 'Bones' in different areas, saying:
"Stipe [Miocic] is a more well-rounded fighter [than Ciryl Gane] and he's very wise. He has a lot of tools in his back and he has a lot of experience, and he can see a lot of stuff come far away...and he also has good wrestling, so it's gonna be fun one." [7:02 - 7:32]
Miocic has proved that his wrestling is effective, even against larger opponents like Ngannou in the past. And so, the fight with 'Bones' will be a lot more intriguing compared to the champion's recent bout with Gane.