Jon Jones says Francis Ngannou "came up with every demand" to find a way out of the UFC, dismisses possibility of fight
Jon Jones has ruled out a potential future clash with Francis Ngannou and suggested that the Cameroonian purposefully got out of his UFC contract to avoid fighting him.
At UFC 285 last weekend, Jones returned to the octagon to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight strap. The bout marked the end of Jones' three-year octagon hiatus and featured his first time making the walk to the cage as a heavyweight.
'Bones' truly lived up to his dominant reputation as he put on a stunning performance that saw him defeat 'Bon Gamin' in just the third minute of the first round.
The 35-year-old took the French fighter down to the mat with ease before propping him up against the cage to lock in a guillotine choke for the victory.
Following Jones' victory, Ngannou, who was released from the UFC in January, teased a potential bout between the pair with a sarcastic post addressed to the newly crowned champ.
"Good job Jonny boy. Sincerely, The heavyweight king."
In response, Jones has now taken to Twitter and dismissed the possibility of facing 'The Predator'. According to Jon Jones, Ngannou made outrageous contract demands in order to be released and avoid facing him:
"I highly doubt it, especially after that first performance. Like I said, the dude left for a reason. Came up with every demand and request in the world. He knew that the UFC wasn't going to bed, he found his way out."
Jon Jones' coach suggests 'Bones' will walk away from fighting sooner than expected
Following his victory over Ciryl Gane last weekend, Jon Jones cemented himself in the eyes of many as the greatest fighter of all time. 'Bones' also returned to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings thanks to his stunning performance.
Jones is now expected to defend his heavyweight title versus Stipe Miocic later this year. Following their potential clash, Brandon Gibson, Jon Jones' coach, has suggested it could be his last in the octagon.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Gibson explained:
"I don’t know, I’ll leave that up to Jon. I think physically and mentally he can go a long ways, and we’ve seen so many great heavyweights have incredible performances throughout their 40s - I mean, even Stipe [Miocic] is 41, but I think Jon’s going to be one of those athletes that walks away early."
He added:
"He’s going to walk away early, I think so. I think Jon will ride off into the sunset, and us, as MMA fans, will still be clamoring for one more or talking about potential matchups, but I don’t think Jon’s going to have too much more to prove."
Catch the interview here (2:06:20):