Not everyone is feeling very supportive towards Jon Jones following his exclusion from the UFC White House card. While he’s undeniably one of the GOATs of MMA, some can’t get over his belt-dropping, Aspinall-ducking, metabolite-popping ways. But one person who’s decided to support him in these troubled times is none other than Francis Ngannou.
Jones is currently demanding to be released from his UFC contract after CEO Dana White said any negotiations “Bones” had with UFC for the Freedom 250 card were
basically fake. White went on to say Jones was an arthritic mess who needed hip replacement. You’d think Jon was one bad fall away from being placed in an old folks home, which the 38-year-old former multi-division champ did not appreciate.
Enter Francis Ngannou, who knows more than a little about being on Dana White’s bad side and the ridiculous things the big boss will say when you dare to ask for more than the UFC is willing to give you. “The Predator” is set to fight Philipe Lins on the undercard of MVP’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card on May 16th, and had this message to send to Jones.
“Watching this story unfold yesterday was very interesting,” Ngannou wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I have lots to say, but for now, Jonny boy, if you manage to get your freedom, then let me know. You deserve that $30M+ after everything you’ve done for the sport, and they should be rolling out the RED CARPET for you.”
He also discussed the Jones situation during the MVP Rousey vs. Carano press conference, where he was on hand to promote his May 16th fight against Philipe Lins.
“You know, I think three or four years ago, I was saying this out loud,” Ngannou said. “And I was saying this not only to Jon Jones but to everyone that was out there. I was probably in the same situation because I think most of them are in the same situation. We are not an employee, we are independent contractors, and we should be able to get what we deserve. And if we don’t get it, we should be able to have a right to walk away and go look at other options.
“The thing now is that there are always contracts tying people up and they can’t get free. You wanna get set free and then they muscle you up and lowball you. I’m happy I’m out of that. That’s all I can say.”
Can Jon Jones get his freedom from UFC? He’s got plenty of fights left on his current UFC contract, but the end of pay-per-view puts many top stars in a position where their deals may be less ironclad than usual. With Francis Ngannou waiting outside the organization licking his lips, though, don’t expect the UFC to just passively let Jones walk.
