"It was Jon Jones who didn't want a fight with me" - Francis Ngannou refutes Dana White's reason on 'Bones' fight not materializing

Amid the buildup to his return to MMA, Francis Ngannou is doubling down on his claim that Jon Jones did not want to fight him. Ngannou's response came two days after Dana White insisted at the Dana White's Contender Series post-fight presser on Aug. 20 that he was the reason the super fight did not materialize.

Asked for his thoughts on the matter at the Aug. 22 PFL press conference, Ngannou simply re-stated his side of the story. 'The Predator' said White is just trying to "control the narrative" but he was the side pursuing the fight to no avail up until he left the promotion.

Ngannou said:

"As far as I'm concerned, it was Jon Jones who didn't want a fight with me according to them. So many times we sat down in a meeting and they were like: 'Oh it can't happen. Jon Jones doesn't want to fight anymore.'... I think the guy who controls the narrative can say whatever he wants."

The hypothetical matchup between Ngannou and Jones was a fight fans clamored for from the moment 'Bones' announced he would be moving up to heavyweight in 2020. The conversations only heightened when the Cameroonian became the champion the following year but botched negotiations prevented it from ever becoming a reality.

Francis Ngannou's fight with Renan Ferreira

It won't be Jon Jones, but Francis Ngannou will return to MMA on Oct. 19 against Renan Ferreira on PFL pay-per-view.

The fight in Riyadh will be for the PFL heavyweight title of the promotion's super-fights division. Ferreira won the belt and the opportunity to face Ngannou in February with his first-round knockout of former Bellator champion Ryan Bader.

Ngannou and Ferreira will be the main event of a pay-per-view card that will also feature a co-main event title fight between Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco. AJ McKee will also make his return to the cage against rising Irish prospect Paul Hughes.