‘You Discover How Political It Is’- Francis Ngannou Says He Was Supposed to Fight Jon Jones but UFC Didn’t Make It Happen

Francis Ngannou and Dana White have not had the best of relationships. The two men have had their share of differences which has put a strain on the equation between them. This was further been aggravated after the UFC set up an interim title fight between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis just four months after Ngannou won his belt. 

In a recent interview with GQ, ‘The Predator’ shared his thoughts on his current situation with the UFC. He said, “I am the heavyweight champ! And I want to be the UFC heavyweight champ. But in this game, as far as you go, you discover how political it is. The business side of it is not very nice—it’s not as easy as the sport itself. Before the [Stipe Miocic] fight, the only thing the UFC was talking about was how the winner of Stipe and I would face Jon Jones, and that never came along. And here we are: with an interim title and everything.”

When asked if he felt the UFC was trying to devalue his status as a champion he said, “Absolutely! That’s how I feel. There’s one thing: if you say you understand the UFC, and how they do business, that means you don’t understand shit [laughs]. It’s just like that: it can be very spontaneous, premature, and decisions are out of nowhere. They just pop up like that: boom! But at the end of the day, things will get done. It’s just a matter of time.”

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Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane for all the marbles 

It is no secret that Ciryl Gane is next for Francis Ngannou. ‘Bon Gamin’ and ‘The Predator’ are no strangers to each other. The two men were a part of MMA factory in Paris under Fernand Lopez. Both men extensively trained with each other during their formative years and have a good understanding of what the other person brings to the table. 

Gane has fought three times already in 2021 whereas Ngannou has fought just once. ‘The Predator’ stated that he would like to defend his belt before the end of the year. However, it remains to be seen if the fight gets scheduled before the end of this year or towards the first half of 2022.