“Everyone says I waited three years and I came back just when Francis left,” MMAnews quoted the American as saying. “That’s actually not true – when I came back, Francis was still on the roster and I could have been his last fight.”
“Instead he decided to leave and Cyril Gun took his place. I came back and was ready to fight Francis Ngannou, that’s for sure. I’m not going to lie though – it was nice to know that I was going to fight Cyril, I wasn’t going to fight Francis. Francis is a scary joker.”
In March this year Jon Jones successfully resumed his career after a three-year hiatus, finishing Cyril Gawn with a guillotine choke in the first round, and on November 11 at UFC 295 in New York, the American will make his title defense against his compatriot Stipe Miocic, after a fight with whom he may announce his retirement.
Francis Ngannou, who left the world’s strongest league as a free agent earlier this year, is currently preparing for a boxing match against Britain’s Tyson Fury, with whom he will share the ring on October 28 in Riyadh, and “The Predator” plans to return to mixed martial arts next year under the PFL banner.