Chael Sonnen believes Jon Jones wasn't courageous enough to take on Francis Ngannou before his recent performance against Ciryl Gane.
According to Sonnen, Jones played it too safe by avoiding Ngannou, only to express his interest in fighting 'The Predator' after what he perceived to be a lackluster performance. During an episode of his YouTube show, Sonnen said:
"Two people wanted to fight Francis after this performance. One was Tyson Fury. Now, I can't give Tyson a hard time because Tyson wanted to do it before the performance, not just before Francis got outstruck. Tyson was on board anyway so Tyson's okay here. The other one to do it is Jon Jones who lost his balls two years ago. Jon has been offered this fight repeatedly and has said no. These heavyweights went out, they looked terrible everywhere."
Watch Chael Sonnen take a shot at Jon Jones below:
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It was heavily rumored that Jones will fight for the heavyweight title next after Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. However, the rumblings amounted to nothing as 'Bones' reportedly wanted more money to fight 'The Predator'.
In the aftermath of UFC 270, Jones reignited the conversation by stating that he's excited to fight for the heavyweight crown in his eventual return.
He also took shots at Ciryl Gane, who many believed was the best heavyweight fighter prior to UFC 270.
Francis Ngannou says he's moving on from Jon Jones matchup
Francis Ngannou has many options after beating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Amid his contract dispute with the UFC, the Cameroonian has stated that he's willing to stay with the promotion as long as he gets offered a contract that would allow him to pursue a career in pro boxing.
However, 'The Predator' made it clear that a highly-anticipated matchup with Jon Jones is no longer on the table. During the UFC 270 pre-fight press conference, Ngannou addressed the potential fight with Jones, who has been teasing his move to heavyweight over the past couple of years.
Ngannou told reporters:
"No, I’m done with that fight. I’ve been waiting for that fight for so long. After Stipe [Miocic], it was supposed to be Jon Jones and that never happened. I don’t know why. So I moved on."
Watch Francis Ngannou at the UFC 270 pre-fight press conference below: