UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou wants to fight Jon Jones, then rematch with Derrick Lewis

Ngannou, the current UFC heavyweight champion, said he would be happy to fight twice more this year, and while he’s not sure what’s going on between the UFC and Jon Jones, he said he wants Jones first and then a rematch with Lewis.

Ngannou dethroned Miocic, widely considered the best heavyweight in MMA history, at UFC 260 on Saturday. And now Ngannou has his sights set on Jones, considered the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter of all time.

But Jones and the UFC have engaged in a bitter conversation about the deal on social media. At one point, Jones called for his UFC exit, but later deleted the tweet.

“I don’t know what exactly happened between Jon Jones and UFC, but I think there’s something wrong, and I also think he handled it maybe a little bit wrong,” Ngannou said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA show, which aired Wednesday. “That’s none of my business.”

“There are a lot of contenders ready to fight. For the first time, I’m the guy making the call. I don’t have to sit and wait for people. They’re waiting for me and I’m ready. I can choose to fight, and I want to fight maybe twice [more] this year. I hope the [Jones] fight happens.”

Ngannou has mentioned August and December as possible dates for his next two fights.

While UFC president Dana White hinted during his post-fight press conference Saturday night that Jones might be afraid to fight Ngannou, Ngannou saw the situation differently.

“I think he wants to make some challenge, but I think he’s at a point in his career where he wants his big payday,” Ngannou said. “It makes sense, you can’t argue with that. He did it, he deserves it. He’s been the best pound-for-pound fighter for a long time, so you can’t deny Jon Jones anything in this sport.”

If Jones and UFC can’t come to a financial settlement, Ngannou’s first defense is expected to be against Lewis. The two first fought on July 7, 2018, and it goes down as one of the worst heavyweight main events in UFC history. Lewis won by unanimous decision.

“I think we’re going to have this fight that never really happened,” Ngannou said. “I’ll have to give the fans what they deserve.”

As for who he thinks he’ll face next, Ngannou said, “I really don’t know. You never know what happens with UFC until it happens. Let it happen randomly. Whatever happens, I’m ready to fight.”

And don’t expect contract negotiations to stand in Ngannou’s way.

“I want to get paid more, if that’s the issue. I think everybody wants to get paid more,” he said. “I want good [financial] terms for that fight, in my favor, at least with more benefits.”

“But listen, I’m under contract, I have to fight. I think the best is yet to come.”