Francis Ngannou takes a scathing dig at Jon Jones - "He finds himself a better battle on Twitter than in octagon"
Francis Ngannou has taken yet another dig at his potential heavyweight rival and former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Ngannou and his team, comprising of head coach Eric Nicksick and manager Marquel Martin, were the guests on the most recent episode of longtime UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer's It's Time podcast.
During the chat, 'The Predator' told Buffer that he was unsure if Jones would return to the UFC octagon. He jokingly added that 'Bones' would rather prefer a Twitter battle with him.
"I think the first thing we have to know whether Jon Jones is going to fight or not. Because actually, he finds himself a better battle on Twitter than in octagon," said Ngannou.
Watch Francis Ngannou in conversation with Bruce Buffer and his co-host TJ De Santis below:
Jon Jones' advisor Richard Schaefer to meet UFC brass this weekend to discuss his heavyweight debut
Jon Jones hasn't fought in the UFC in nearly two years. He dropped his 205-pound weight class belt after a successful defense against Dominick Reyes in February 2020.
It is still unclear what exactly has been delaying Jones' title shot against Francis Ngannou for so long, considering even the Cameroonian champion has wanted the fight in the past.
Now, Jones' advisor Richard Schaefer will meet with top UFC officials this weekend to discuss his client's future. 'Bones' could possibly be Ngannou's next challenger.
But with 'The Predator' set to undergo knee surgery, Stipe Miocic could come in for an interim title bout. The Sun MMA reporter Chisanga Malata took to Twitter to break the news of Schaefer's meeting with UFC brass.
"BREAKING: Jon Jones' advisor Richard Schaefer will meet the UFC brass this weekend. Topics of discussion - A return this year. Facing HW champ Francis Ngannou. Potentially facing Stipe Miocic for the interim title," posted Malata.
Here is Malata's tweet regarding Jones' UFC return plans:
Jones holds a 26-1 record, with one no contest, in his professional mixed martial arts career so far, while Ngannou is 17-3. The latter has made one successful heavyweight title defense -- against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last Saturday -- since winning the belt from Miocic at UFC 260 in March 2021.