Newly crowned heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is not backing down from the idea of fighting Jon Jones in his first title defense.
While the UFC president confirmed to the press that it would be Derrick Lewis, #1 contender in the heavyweight division, who would face the Cameroonian in his first defense; Ngannou recently stated that he prefers the fight with Jones.
Francis Ngannou won’t give up and insists on a showdown with Jon Jones
After the crowning of Francis as the 265 lbs. monarch, there was a lot of talk and it was assumed that ‘Bones’ would be the first challenger. But after several back and forth, Dana White decided to leave behind the negotiations with Jones and give the opportunity to Lewis.
But ‘The Predator’ in a recent interview with TMZ Sports, assured that he wants to fight Jon Jones.
“I want Jon Jones, definitely. I don’t care what’s been said, I would love that fight.”
Jones, a former 205-pound champion, vacated his title after an extended reign of nearly ten years. Jon expressed his intentions to move up to 265 pounds to challenge the division champion. But for the UFC president, the idea of this showdown slowly fell by the wayside.
Recall that a month ago, White made it clear that he could not accommodate Jon’s financial claims. In fact, he even suggested he’d better consider retirement from MMA.
The still #1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter then stated that he did not plan to return to the octagon in 2021. Jones stated that he would continue his conditioning and preparation for his heavyweight debut. Which he estimates to make in 2022.
But Francis Ngannou remains hopeful of making the bout with Jones.
“I have size too. I’m strong too. I’m impressed with his decision to make it to heavyweight. I know he has a lot of skills, he’s very talented. I respect that. But we’re both men and we’ll see what happens.”
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