Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s common knowledge in MMA circles that Francis Ngannou and Dana White have a rocky relationship. After being the UFC’s biggest heavyweight superstar for quite some time, Ngannou left due to contract-related conflicts, and White has never been happy about it.
Since Ngannou’s departure, White has frequently taken jabs at the former UFC heavyweight champ. The UFC President has blamed him for not fighting Jon Jones and has discredited his boxing career as well.
In the press conference for his PFL debut against Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia, Ngannou finally fired back at White’s latest comments…
Francis Ngannou Reveals Why Jon Jones Fight Didn’t Happen Despite His Request
While talking to journalists at the PFL press conference, Ngannou flipped the script and claimed that Jones didn’t want to fight him in the UFC. He allegedly requested the fight multiple times but was told that “Bones” wasn’t willing to fight as he was enjoying life in Albuquerque.
“As far as I’m concerned, it was Jon Jones didn’t want to fight for me, according to them. And so many time that we sit down on the meeting, I’m like, oh it can’t happen Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight anymore. You know, like he live in Albuquerque. He live his small life. He has a lot of money in his bank account, you know. So, I think, the guy who control the narrative can say whatever he wants but that’s just the narrative. I never, I was the one requesting the Jon Jones fight but I didn’t want that like a trap, to get into some deal and get to something I didn’t want.”
As per “The Predator”, another reason why the Jones fight couldn’t happen was his contract. He was down to fight the UFC light heavyweight GOAT but wanted a contract that benefited him in ways other than just money. This included the freedom to box, in-cage sponsorships, and health insurance, among other things.
Ngannou’s relationship with the UFC fell apart when both parties couldn’t negotiate a contract that fulfilled the former’s demands. Instead, the UFC heavyweight champ left the promotion and signed with the PFL.
