Francis Ngannou proved to everyone why he was one of the best heavyweight fighters as he defeated Renan Ferreira at PFL last month. He did so even after going through a hard time coping with the demise of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. ‘The Predator’ even declared that he fought in MMA to dedicate his performance to his son.

He won PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants to claim the inaugural PFL Super Fights heavyweight title. It marked his first mixed martial arts bout since his UFC leave. The Cameroonian had pursued a lucrative career in boxing as he indulged in two boxing matches while away from the cage. Now that he has returned to MMA again, he decided to weigh in on his future fights and also answer the pressing question of the hour: why was Jones ducking Aspinall? During an interview with TMZ, he gave his final verdict on this question.

The Cameroonian claimed that ‘Bones’ does not need to fight Aspinall to seal his legacy.  He said, “I think there’s a negotiation situation here that’s involved that we don’t know all the ups and downs. We all know the situation that they use in the negotiation to say, ‘Oh no, he doesn’t want to fight this guy, he’s scared.‘ And that’s how the machine works. He’s in the position to claim what he wants as he said. He said, ‘Aspinall needs that fight, I don’t need it.‘ And when you look at it, it’s pretty much true.”

He also mentioned that the 37-year-old already had cemented his legacy and now we only want to fight for money. However, for ”Honey Badger’, his intentions are different. He aims to create a name for himself and solidify his status as the undisputed heavyweight crown. Additionally, this fight would mean everything for his resume.

Jones has proclaimed his interest in a super fight against Alex Pereira. ‘Bones’ has indicated he is comfortable with the prospect of walking away from the sport if the future doesn’t interest him. But what about the Aspinall offer?

Jon Jones holds steadfast for Alex Pereira fight as Dana White earmarks Tom Aspinall bout

Jones recently gave an interview for FullSend MMA and spoke about his interest in fighting ‘Poatan’. Gordon Ryan had suggested that Pereira vs Aspinall should happen and the winner of that fight could clash with Jones. The latter was not worried about that and declared his plans. Jones is back in the gym and training again. 

“I’m not worried about the Tom fight. I’m worried about the Pereira fight,” Jones stated during the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “That’s what I want to do. I think if the UFC wants to have me back, then I think that’s the fight they’ll make. I’ve been clear about my intentions. That’s what I want.” The heavyweight king also declared why he was not interested in the Aspinall fight. He would only take the bout if “f–k you money,” was involved. Interestingly, Jones has trodden the same line as Ngannou about negotiating from a place of power just like when he was earmarked to face Ngannou.

However, UFC boss Dana White banished the idea of a heavyweight blow between the Brazilian and Jones during the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. The boss firmly opposed this matchup, mentioning the significant size difference between Jones and Pereira’s physique. He disregarded Pereira’s involvement, stating that Jones was “too big” for him, virtually ruling out any likelihood of the fight occurring. So what do you think might happen now?