Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou reacted to Jon Jones earning his vacant belt on Saturday night.
“Bones” fought Ngannou’s last UFC opponent, Ciryl Gane, for the strap during the UFC 285 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. And Jones needed just over two minutes to remind the world of his greatness. He tapped the division’s No. 1 contender out with a guillotine choke, earning himself his second divisional title.
Several fighters took to Twitter to praise Jones’ accomplishment. Well, Ngannou had a message for Bones as well. “Good job Jonny Boy,” Ngannou tweeted. “Sincerely, The heavyweight king.”
As mentioned, Ngannou gave up the belt instead of losing it inside the Octagon. “The Predator” left the organization in January, thus dropping the heavyweight strap after only one defense.
White Said Ngannou vs. Jones Was ‘Never Going to Happen,’ Ngannou Responds
Ngannou versus Jones was one of the most hyped potential UFC matches that the promotion could’ve put on. But, during the UFC 285 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said a match between Jones and Ngannou was “never going to happen.”
“We tried to make that fight with him for three years,” White said. “Listen, we all want to see a fight. The guys gotta want the fight. Francis doesn’t want the fight — can’t make him fight.”
Ngannou responded to White’s comments via Twitter. He posted a clip of White speaking at the UFC 260 post-fight press conference in March 2021 after Ngannou dethroned Stipe Miocic by knockout. At this point in time, Jones had been out of action for over a year and without a heavyweight fight to his name. The UFC president suggested that Jones consider moving to middleweight instead of heavyweight because of how impressive — and terrifying — The Predator’s victory was.
Anthony Smith Thinks Jones Would Dominate Ngannou if They Fought
Jones’ former opponent, UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith, spoke on MMA Fighting’s “The Fighter vs. The Writer” ahead of Bones’ heavyweight title fight. And according to “Lionheart,” Jones would beat The Predator easily if they ever linked up inside a cage.
“I thought Jon Jones would 50-45 Francis without a mark on him,” Smith said. “I’ve been wrong before, but I think Francis is one of the easier matchups for Jon. He’s going to be slower than Jon. He’s really predictable. Very, very predictable. You know exactly what you’re going to get when you run into Francis Ngannou.
“He’s not out here shooting double-legs, he’s not going to fight you in the clinch and start hitting you with Muay Thai elbows and knees. He’s throwing absolute bombs. Jon is long enough, he manages range well enough, and I think he’s faster and smarter and his skill set is rounder. He can get in, get out, he can pick at Francis from the outside, frustrate him, get him to open up with those wild bombs, clinch him, take him down, push him up against the fence. I think Jon gets in and out of a Francis Ngannou fight fairly simply.”
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Francis Ngannou Reacts to Jon Jones Winning His Vacant UFC Heavyweight Belt