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Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane will meet for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Title next month in the main event of UFC 285.
Reports have spread for awhile stating that Jones would fight then UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou for the title, but Jones says the fight didn’t happen due to Ngannou.
“I don’t think I deserve any criticism,” Jones told RMC Sport (transcript via Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting). “I’m here. I’m here. Francis had the opportunity to face me and he opted out of the opportunity. If anyone should be criticized, it’s Francis Ngannou. If I’m correct, he was offered the biggest contract in heavyweight history. He had the opportunity to be a guy to dethrone me. He didn’t believe in himself. Francis didn’t believe in himself. He wasn’t willing to gamble on himself.”
Ngannou has now left the UFC and is a free agent, pursuing both MMA and boxing fights going forward.
Jones says he does feel bad for the MMA fans because they will never get to see the super fight between himself and Ngannou.
“I felt bad for the fans. I know that would have been a massive fight for the fans,” Jones said. “People from all around the world would have loved to see that event. And I’m not counting it out – I could see Francis going and fighting in boxing and doing whatever he’s going to do. I think he’s always going to be welcome back to the UFC. That’s always going to be a big, big fight, and I’ll be ready for him.”
