Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou responded to the haters who believe he left the promotion to avoid a fight against Jon Jones.
Look, I wanted to fight Jones. What's more, I was the one who initiated this fight. I had this idea more than two years ago. But where was Jon Jones all that time? Nobody knows. I think he didn't want to fight me and Dana White didn't want to do it.
Francis Ngannou, quoted by Bj Penn
Ngannou left the UFC in January 2023 because he could not reach an agreement with the promotion on a new contract. In his last fight, held in January 2022 at UFC 270, Ngannou defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision.
Jones last fought against that same Gane on March 5 at UFC 285. That fight lasted the entire distance and ended in Jones' favor with a chokehold in the first round. He has 27 wins and one loss under his belt.