Jon Jones recently gave his thoughts on Francis Ngannou leaving the UFC. The UFC legend says that he’s “happy for Francis,” and that he thinks they’ll eventually have their dream match.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion spoke to Sports Illustrated, and praised the Cameroonian star for not agreeing to less than he’s worth. Jones said that he too was in the same spot as him back in the 205-pound division.
“I’m glad that Francis knows his worth. No man has a right to shame another man for fighting for his worth. I was in a very similar situation as Francis as a light heavyweight. I was never happy with my salary. I had to sit out three years, and I missed a lot of time, but now we’re here.”
This is the opposite of what Jones’s manager Richard Schaefer said about Ngannou, as he felt like the “Predator” was making a mistake.
Jones also wished the ex-heavyweight champion luck in his future endeavors.
“I encourage Francis on his journey, and I wish him all the best. Another company is going to be truly blessed to have him.”
Regarding the Ngannou bout, “Bones” said that he sees it happening down the line.
“I do believe my path will cross with Francis,” he said.
“So I’m not counting it out. I’ll keep an eye on Francis.”
Right now, Jones is focused on Ngannou’s replacement, Cyril Gane. Jones will be taking on the French contender for the now-vacant 265-pound title. The two will be headlining UFC 285 on March 4th.
It should be noted that Jones recently said that he wanted to take on Ngannou as “Ciryl is relatively unknown.”