Francis Ngannou hits out at multiple Jon Jones personalities

When Jon Jones makes his heavyweight debut, Francis Ngannou has no problem with seeing the UFC heavyweight championship he never lost up for grabs, but he is interested to see which version of the former light heavyweight champion will appear.

Ngannou no longer competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) due to unsuccessful contract negotiations, but he still has a keen interest in the heavyweight championship fight between Jon Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) and former interim champion Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 285.

Jones at first backed Ngannou when he stood up for what he wanted in a new contract, refusing to back down and walking away from the promotion without ever losing the championship in the cage. Jones recently changed the subject by saying, "Francis didn't believe in himself."

Despite Jones' departure, Ngannou isn't interested in getting involved in any controversy and would prefer that the two continue to get along because they might still engage in a major confrontation in the future.

“Personally, I don’t have any problem with Jon Jones,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie. “I think we all know that Jon Jones has multiple personalities, and sometimes it’s even hard for him to figure out who he really is – and I don’t have nothing to do with that.

“… I think in this fight we could have been on the same side, instead of like fighting against each other, which is exactly what the system wants. You know, to divide the most, to conquer. So, I’m not really into that game. I see clearly what’s happening, I understand very well what’s happening, and I wish them all the best, you know?”

There's always a chance Ngannou will rejoin the UFC. Despite negotiations stalling and eventually failing, UFC president Dana White repeatedly said that he and Ngannou were friendly throughout the ordeal. In the fight game, things can, however, rapidly change.

Prior to a potential return to mixed martial arts, Ngannou is presently focused on organizing a major boxing match this summer. Ngannou just hopes Jones finds fulfillment in what he wants out of his career, even though he is aware that a Jones victory at UFC 285 will heighten the intrigue surrounding their possible bout.