Francis Ngannou tells Dana White where to 'reach out to' if he wants Jon Jones fight to happen
Francis Ngannou has responded to UFC President Dana White after the latter shared his thoughts on Ngannou's recent contract with the PFL and other matters. Ngannou took to Twitter to address the comments made by the UFC President.
Talking about the situation around a potential fight between him and Jones, the French-Cameroonian champ redirected White to PFL CEO Peter Murray. He suggested a potential co-promotion fight with the current UFC heavyweight king.
Ngannou urged White to contact Murray if he genuinely wants to make the highly-anticipated fight happen.
"If you ever really want that Jon Jones fight to happen reach out to @PeteMurrayPFL. Whenever, wherever."
If you ever really want that Jon Jones fight to happen reach out to @PeteMurrayPFL.
Whenever, wherever
Further in his series of tweets, 'The Predator' also clarified that he fulfilled his contract, became a free agent, and made the decision to leave the UFC on his own accord. He asserted that he was not released by the organization.
What is your problem with me?
1. I completed my contract, was a free agent, and chose to walk away. you didn’t release me
2. I hate taking risks? that’s why I defended my title to fulfill my contract with no acl or mcl?
In response to White's statement about his aversion to taking risks, Francis Ngannou pointed out that he defended his title despite dealing with ACL and MCL injuries. This, he says, showcases his determination to honor his contract.
The heavyweight champion also addressed the frequency of his fights. He explained that he fought only three times in three years due to the UFC's control over his contract negotiations and their decision to freeze him out. Ngannou emphasized that he never turned down any fight during that period and was always ready to compete.
3. The reason I fought three times in three years is because you wanted to control my deal and signs a new one. And freeze me out. “I owe these guys three fights a year.” Isn’t that what you say? What happened? I always asked for & never said no to any fight in the 3 years
Expressing his contentment with his current situation, Ngannou stressed that he is now receiving fair pay and respect through a deal that benefits all parties involved.
I’m finally getting paid and respected, and have a deal that’s fair and equal for all parties. Why are you so against me being free and happy?
Eric Nicksick provides insight into Francis Ngannou's return to action
In an interview with Submission Radio, Nicksick revealed that Francis Ngannou is keen on making his boxing debut in his next combat sports contest. The heavyweight MMA fighter "definitely wants to box first," according to his coach.
"If we get to August or September and we don't have anything boxing, we gotta transition over back into MMA and start making sure that we're getting all of our skill-set taken care of. Because that's where we thrived our best as a team and as a camp — it's not during training camps, it's outside of camps. We're able to grow our best outside of training camp. That's when you can try new things and add new ingredients."
However, Nicksick also outlined a backup plan in case Ngannou's boxing debut is delayed until August or September of this year. In such a scenario, they would shift their focus back to MMA and prepare for an MMA bout instead.
Check out the coach's interview below:
As Francis Ngannou's coach and team strategize his career path, fans eagerly anticipate the boxing debut of the heavyweight superstar. They remain excited about his future endeavors in both the boxing and MMA realms.