Francis Ngannou might want to fight Jon Jones in the cage, but outside of it he’s taking Jones’ side.
Jones is currently embroiled in a war of words with the UFC and CEO Dana White, with White claiming Jones was never in discussion to be part of the highly anticipated UFC White House card in June, and Jones firing back that there were negotiations but if the promotion isn’t interested in his services, he should be released.
This past Saturday, Jones wrote a tweet in which he claims he was interested in a showdown against fellow two-division title winner Alex Pereira at the UFC White House card but the UFC did not offer more than $15 million for the fight.
On The Ariel Helwani Show, Ngannou defended Jones’ pay demands, arguing that the former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion should be treated with the utmost respect at the negotiating table.
“Of course, Jon Jones deserves that,” Ngannou said. “Jon Jones has been with this organization for how long? Jon Jones has been the champion since he was 23, which is, what 15 years? Over 15 years? If there is somebody that deserves something nowadays, like just even to pay him tribute, it’s Jon Jones. Jon Jones needs to get paid maybe not only for the fight that he’s fighting, but for what he has done for the sport. For where he has taken the sport to.
“Aren’t they out there bragging that he’s the GOAT? Man, if the GOAT is not respected, then who should we respect? I worry if the GOAT is being treated like that. I truly worry if that’s how they treat the GOAT, then those who are not the GOAT, I don’t know, whatever they are, imagine what they are going through.”
It should be noted that White had publicly stated on multiple occasions he did not expect Jones to be on the White House card due to the 38-year-old’s legal and personal issues in the past, some of which directly affected UFC bookings and Jones’ title reigns. Even so, a heavyweight bout between Jones and Pereira—who is now set to fight Ciryl Gane for an interim heavyweight title—was heavily rumored as an option for the historic June 14 event.
Ngannou knows plenty about butting heads with White.
Following a successful heavyweight title defense against Gane in January 2022, Ngannou and the UFC found themselves at an impasse over a new contract, which kept the fighter on the shelf until he became a free agent 12 months later. Since then, Ngannou’s move has received both support and criticism, the latter of which he mostly ignores.
“It’s the narrative,” Ngannou said of his critics. “People just follow the narrative. When I was battling the position back then, having all this pressure, all these threats, nobody think about ‘he made a mistake.’ Then I get free, get peace, and then it’s a mistake. I don’t understand.
“If having peace and peace of mind and being in the best position that you ever think of is a mistake, well then I love mistakes. I’m really looking forward to make some mistakes in the future.”
Jones isn’t the only MMA star expressing their displeasure with the UFC’s way of doing business. Ronda Rousey—the headliner of the May 16 MMA MVP card, which features Ngannou taking on Philipe Lins—has taken frequent shots at her former promotion ahead of her comeback. Current UFC standouts Conor McGregor and Sean O’Malley have also raised questions about their compensation.
Still, the vast majority of UFC athletes rarely air their complaints in public and Ngannou has a theory as to why.
“Since I left, don’t you see what they are trying to do?” Ngannou said. “All this blah blah blah, all the things, like all the narratives, the mission has always been to destroy Francis, to damage Francis. By the way, tell me about somebody that has left and then went out and be something, basically as a champion because nobody has left as a champion, so they want to close that door, lock all these things. I don’t know if it’s true, I have heard that the sunset clause no longer exists. I hope it’s not true.”
One major source of UFC fighter complaints recently was the Zuffa Boxing signing of Conor Benn, who reportedly joined White’s boxing promotion on a one-fight deal worth $15 million. Ngannou believes anyone in the UFC unhappy with Benn’s pay compared to their own is completely justified and that they shouldn’t stay silent just because they’re expected to celebrate someone else’s success.
“They should be happy of making their own money,” Ngannou said. “Happiness can also start from your own self. You don’t have to always be happy for people. Yes, it’s good to be happy from seeing someone make money, but when you’re making money, too, not when you’re going broke. Not when you’re taking a fight maybe with injury because you have a hundred bucks in your bank account and trying to make a living, provide for your family.
“Yes, when you see something like that and then maybe you’ve been in the organization all these years doing all these fights, of course you get pissed. I would have got pissed, too. I didn’t get pissed about that, it didn’t bother me because I was in a better position. That’s no longer my problem. I don’t have that kind of problem anymore.”
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