While fans of the UFC’s heavyweight division want to see a championship unification bout between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall, the man who chose to vacate the title for a more lucrative and mentally satisfying opportunity understands why Jones would rather face Alex Pereira.
Former UFC champ Francis Ngannou, who is now a star in the PFL, was asked about Jones seeming to favor a matchup with the UFC light heavyweight champion over the interim heavyweight titleholder. “The Predator” thinks there’s negotiation tactics at play on both sides, but as far as legacy goes, Ngannou believes Jones would have much more to lose than gain.
“First of all, I think this is about a negotiation situation that’s involved [where] we don’t know the ups and downs,” Ngannou told TMZ. “We all know that the UFC uses that in a negotiation, ‘Oh, no, he doesn’t want to fight this guy, he’s scared,’ and then that’s how the machine works. He’s in a position to pick what he wants.
“As he said, ‘Aspinall needs that fight, I don’t need it,’ and when you look at it, pretty much true.”
Ngannou and Jones were tied to a potential blockbuster matchup after Jones vacated the light heavyweight title back in 2020. “Bones” reportedly asked for “Deontay Wilder money” — around $30 million — according to UFC CEO Dana White, which effectively put an end to those negotiations.
In the end, Ngannou left the UFC as lineal champion, and did so on his own accord.
Since then, both Ngannou and Jones have shown public respect for one another, including each congratulating the other after their recent victories over Renan Ferreira and Stipe Miocic respectively.
So if Jones doesn’t end up fighting Aspinall, Ngannou won’t begrudge him for it.
“There’s nothing more that he’s going to [gain] in that fight other than money,” Ngannou said. “But for Aspinall, which is someone that’s coming and trying to cement his way in the division, that would be everything.”
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