Francis Ngannou still considers himself the heavyweight champion ahead of Jon Jones title fight
Jon Jones is set to return to the UFC to challenge for the heavyweight championship recently vacated by Francis Ngannou. Ahead of Jones' clash with No.1-ranked contender Ciryl Gane, Ngannou believes he is still the champion.
The former heavyweight champion spoke to 'The Schmo' in an interview and was asked about his feelings as the title he never lost will be put on the line at UFC 285 this weekend. He replied:
“I’m pretty good about it. I have no problem, you know. I mean, my life doesn’t depend on a piece of metal, you know. That’s not why I was champ. I was a champ because of what I have done and that’s why I believe I’m still a champ. I was even a champ before. Will always be a champ."
Ngannou and Jones were reported to face off for the title before the Cameroonian's shock exit from the promotion. He cited the rigid contract policy of the UFC and the lack of freedom as reasons for not extending his contract with them.
President Dana White stated that the UFC offered Ngannou more money than any heavyweight in the history of the promotion, but to no avail.
Francis Ngannou predicts the outcome of Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane
In the same interview, Francis Ngannou was also asked to pick the winner of the UFC 285 main event between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.
Ngannou mentioned that the fight's outcome will depend on Jones' approach. He also stated that both fighters are defensively sound and would challenge each other for the full 25 minutes:
“Oh, I think this fight will most likely go into distance. Unless, if Jon Jones show up, this fight can be TKO. I think he’s gonna take down, wrestle, do some ground and pound. But it can go to distance if Jon Jones fights defensive. Because then both of them will be like defensive fighters, since they are very good in that style, then it can go into distance as well.”
Francis Ngannou also made mention of Ciryl Gane's wrestling by referencing the Frenchman's last outing in the octagon against him. 'Bon Gamin' was overwhelmed by Ngannou's grappling and could not sustain the pressure on him. However, the Cameroonian credited Gane for being a smart fighter who would go back and improve.
Catch Francis Ngannou's complete interview below: