Francis Ngannou feels Jon Jones should have helped with fighter pay battle

Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC prevented a highly-anticipated bout against Jon Jones from taking place. The former heavyweight champion recently shared that he believes 'Bones' should have been on his side in his dispute with the promotion.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, host Ariel Helwani shared that he was disappointed that 'Bones' did not side with 'The Predator', leading the latter to respond:

"Was that the first time that you were disappointed about Jon? He's just doing him and I'm doing me. Yes, it was disappointing. Even though I always wanted to fight Jon, no matter what was said, I've always rooted for Jon and believed that he's the GOAT. Even before this fight, in my perspective Jon is the GOAT. That's the reason why I wanted to fight him the most - to build my own legacy."

Francis Ngannou continued:

"I still do believe that in this situation, we could have been fighting on the same side. Having a rivalry at the opening doesn't [mean we] have to avoid fighting for the same things. Jon, two years ago, was very vocal about the pay, about this, about that. Now, he switched like this. He's just doing him. That's his problem."

Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on Jon Jones below:

Ngannou became the first reigning champion to leave the UFC since B.J. Penn in 2004. The former heavyweight champion supposedly requested that fighters have the ability to sign sponsorships, receive healthcare benefits, and have a representative present during UFC board meetings. However, the promotion showed no interest in meeting his alleged demands. Jon Jones went on to face Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, capturing the vacant heavyweight title in dominant fashion.

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Francis Ngannou's departure: 'The Predator' reveals promotions he is close to joining

Francis Ngannou is among the most highly coveted mixed martial arts free agents of all-time. 'The Predator' recently revealed that he is close to joining one of two promotions, stating:

"There's PFL and ONE FC that we are very close... We will see. Anyways, when there is information, when I decide, you guys are going to know so don't worry."

Check out Francis Ngannou's comments below (starting at the 2:01:05 mark):

Ngannou noted that he plans to have a boxing match before joining a mixed martial arts promotion. He added that he is very close to deciding between the two promotions, however, he has not committed to either.