Francis Ngannou: 'Pretty Much True' That Jon Jones Doesn’t 'Need' Tom Aspinall Fight

Francis Ngannou knows a thing or two about big-money negotiations with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ngannou parted ways with the UFC in 2023 after he was unable to come to terms with the Las Vegas-based promotion on a new deal. Since then, he has secured a big-ticket boxing matches against Tyson Fury (which he nearly won) and Anthony Joshua while also signing a contract with Professional Fighters League that provided much of the freedom and perks he desired. When he was still with the UFC, a showdown with current heavyweight king Jon Jones was a hot topic. The narrative currently presented by the UFC is that Ngannou left the promotion because he didn’t want to face Jones. However, when “Bones” was on a three-year hiatus and Ngannou was an active UFC champion, the story was framed quite differently.

Jones returned to action at UFC 309, where he successfully defended the heavyweight crown with a third-round stoppage of Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16. “Bones” has been accused of avoiding a fight against interim heavyweight king Tom Aspinall, but in the aftermath of his latest victory, Jones indicated that he might accept the matchup if the money was right. A little more than three years ago, Jones tweeted “show me the money” in regards to a potential Ngannou fight after the Cameroonian-born Frenchman vanquished Miocic in 2021. At the time, Ngannou was understanding as to why Jones would want more compensation for a move to heavyweight — even if UFC CEO Dana White was not.

Fast forward to the present day, and while White is now in Jones’ corner, much of the MMA community has grown weary of his dismissal of Aspinall. However, Ngannou offers a different perspective of what might be going on behind the scenes.

“I think there’s a negotiation situation here that’s involved that we don’t know all the ups and downs,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “We all know the situation that they use in the negotiation to say, ‘Oh no, he doesn’t want to fight this guy – he’s scared.’ And then that’s how the machine works.

“He’s [Jones] in the position to claim what he wants, as he said. He said, ‘Aspinall needs that fight. I don’t need it.’ And when you look at it, it’s pretty much true. There’s nothing that he’s going to have more winning that fight other than money. But for Aspinall, who’s someone coming and trying to cement his way in the division, that will be everything.”

With legacy in mind, Jones has indicated that a fight against current UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira might be more enticing than a title unification bout against Aspinall. Ngannou admits that Pereira might be a better stylistic matchup for Jones, but it’s also important to take a fight that motivates him.

“Honestly, I would rather see him face whomever he wants to face,” Ngannou said. “I think Aspinall would be the more challenging fight because Aspinall responds to the ground game better than Pereira. Aspinall would respond better in the wrestling than Pereira.

“[Jones] can do whatever he wants. It’s his call. When you get at that point, you only fight if you want to fight. And you better have a fight that you want, or a good reason.”

While Jones vs. Ngannou remains arguably the biggest dream matchup in the heavyweight division, “The Predator” is taking a realistic view on it’s chances of happening.

“I think for right now the only option is in the [PFL] roster, that’s just how it is…it’s not what I would want or like to have,” he said. “It doesn’t matter much. The reality is, we both know we both want this fight, for sure. And it would be a good fight for us. There’s more to this, like legacy and everything. I mean, I can finish my career at some point, but it will always be great to know that, OK, you faced that guy – that guy who is the best in the sport, to ever do the sport.”

Though Ngannou gives Jones his due respect as the MMA GOAT, he believes it’s too soon to declare the UFC champ as the best ever in the heavyweight division. After all, Jones has only bested Ciryl Gane and Miocic since moving up from 205 pounds.

“Even though Stipe lost the fight, you can’t disregard what he has done as a heavyweight. People forget really quick,” Ngannou said. “For me, Jon might be the best fighter overall, but I personally cannot classify him as the best heavyweight of all-time. Come on, man. He’s established as a fighter, but not as a heavyweight. That’s my take.”