Ready to Step In at UFC 295, Francis Ngannou Reveals Desire for Jon Jones Fight, Is Dana White Game?

Francis Ngannou shocked the world with his performance against Tyson Fury. He might have lost the fight but gained a lot of respect in the combat sports community. However, he’s now aiming to get back to MMA and has expressed his urge to go back to the UFC. Moreover, he doesn’t mind being Jon Jones‘ replacement to fight Stipe Miocic at UFC 295.

‘The Predator’ left a bad taste in Dana White‘s mouth after parting ways with the UFC earlier this year. He engaged in a highly public feud with the UFC CEO, who claimed to have banned Francis Ngannou from ever returning to his promotion. However, the Cameroonian-French fighter still seems interested in a comeback.

Francis Ngannou wants to fight at UFC 295

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones was ‘the’ heavyweight clash MMA fans were waiting for. Unfortunately, it slipped away at the beginning of 2023 as Dana White announced Ngannou’s exit from the promotion following failed contract negotiations. Most fans had added it to the list of the greatest fights that never happened, but is the door to that clash still open?

Francis Ngannou opened plenty of doors for himself in Riyadh last weekend. He is now a hot commodity in boxing and MMA. Could one of those doors be to the UFC? Maybe. But unlucky for fans, that door only opens from one side and Ngannou is on the wrong one.

Combat sports regulatory lawyer Erik Magraken recently shared a tweet about Francis Ngannou. Given that ‘The Predator’ had an amazing outing against Tyson Fury, Magraken believes that he should consider calling out the UFC for his next fight. Moreover, he also suggested that the PFL could step in to co-promote that event. This prompted a swift response from Ngannou about a possible UFC return on Twitter (X).

Francis Ngannou mentioned that he had been calling out Jon Jones for a long time. However, that fight hasn’t happened yet. Instead, Ngannou ideated that he could fight Stipe Miocic, who was Jones’ UFC 295 opponent, while he waited for ‘Bones’ to make his return. “I’ve been calling out Jones but I can take Stipe for the same occasion while waiting on JJ to get back,” said the former UFC and current PFL star.

Nevertheless, it does not seem like Dana White would go ahead with that idea. The UFC CEO had declared the doors of UFC permanently closed for the former champion. Further, the 54-year-old has already announced a replacement fight for UFC 295.

Dana White announces another heavyweight title clash for UFC 295

Jon Jones suffered a shoulder injury ahead of his fight against Stipe Miocic. This forced him to pull out of UFC 295. Moreover, Miocic reportedly rejected the idea of fighting another opponent because he only wanted to fight Jon Jones. This prompted Dana White to promote the light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka as the headliner and set up a heavyweight title fight in the co-main event.

Dana White announced that the interim heavyweight title will be up for grabs in the co-main event of UFC 295. The fight will have surging contenders, Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall going head-to-head at Madison Square Garden. Since Jon Jones’ return date from injury is still uncertain, White decided to let the division flow with the interim title in the picture.

Read More: “It Wasn’t Pretty”: Former World Champion Ricky Hatton Remains Brutally Honest About Tyson Fury Vs Francis Ngannou Bout

There were many UFC fighters and legends who attended Francis Ngannou’s fight against Tyson Fury. However, Dana White was not seen during the event. This could mean that the bad blood between the personalities may not have faded away yet.

We will have to wait and see what further developments take place with Ngannou making a statement about a UFC return.

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