Brendan Schaub shares who is to blame for Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones not taking place

Brendan Schaub believes Francis Ngannou's contract negotiations with the UFC is the real reason why a possible bout between 'The Predator' and Jon Jones has not yet materialized.

In an episode of his podcast, The Schaub Show, the former UFC heavyweight said:

"From my understanding of his Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones fight that we have all lust over that we're all dying to see, it's my number one fight in the UFC, that didn't happen because of Francis' team, That's what I've heard. And obviously Jon has had his issues outside, but take that away, Jon willing to fight Francis for the heavyweight title last year but Francis was in the negotiations with the UFC so that's why the fight didn't happen."

He added:

"I think the way that media paints the picture is that Jon Jones wants to put on weight and take a year off and do all that s*** and he turned down the fight. According to my source said it was Francis who was waiting to get a bigger deal in order to fight Jon."

Watch the full episode below:

Jon Jones last competed in the octagon in February, 2020, when he defended his light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes. Soon after, 'Bones' vacated his title after a brief conflict with UFC president Dana White regarding his pay.

Jones was targeting a fight against Francis Ngannou and demanded $25 - 30 million for the heavyweight clash. Needless to say, 'Bones' didn't get his wish and has been forced to wait on the sidelines ever since.

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Francis Ngannou rates Jon Jones as the best striker in MMA

Despite Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones' recent altercations on social media, 'The Predator' praised Jones for his skills and even claimed the former light heavyweight champion's striking is the best in MMA.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Ngannou said:

"If I'm about to say the best striker for MMA striking, it would still be Jon Jones. But if we go kickboxing style, then I think it will be Ciryl. But for MMA striking, I would give it to Jon Jones. Because, like, with his elbow and all this stuff that he does... the oblique kick, all those stuff. For MMA, is the perfect striking."

Watch Francis Ngannou's YouTube video below:

Francis Ngannou also praised the striking acumen of his upcoming opponent, Ciryl Gane, saying the latter is the best kickboxer in MMA.

Ngannou is set to take on Gane in a title unification bout at UFC 270 later this month. The former became the UFC heavyweight champion following a stunning second-round KO victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. The latter became the interim champion following his dominant performance against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265.