Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has spoken out against Dana White's comments, in which he accused the Cameroonian fighter of causing the cancellation of his bout against Jon Jones.
MMAJunkie quotes Ngannou as saying:
I think that’s the new narrative since he needs to say something either way. As far as I’m concerned, it was Jon Jones that didn’t want to fight me — according to them. So many times we sit down on the meeting, [they said] ‘oh it can’t happen, Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight anymore. He’s living in Albuquerque, he’s living his small life, he has a lot of money in his bank account.’
Ngannou is scheduled to face Brazilian Renan Ferreira on October 19 at a PFL event in Saudi Arabia.
His last fight took place in March of this year against Anthony Joshua, where he competed under boxing rules in Riyadh. The match ended in the second round when Ngannou lost by knockout. Ngannou has 17 wins and 3 losses in his MMA career.
Jon Jones last fought in March 2023 at UFC 285, where he faced Ciryl Gane. He won that match via submission in the first round, claiming the UFC heavyweight championship title, bringing his record to 27 wins and 1 loss.