UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou has 'moved on' from potential Jon Jones fight

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will attempt to defend his title for the first time Saturday when he faces interim champion Cyril Gane, and he says the last person on his mind right now is Jon Jones.

“I’m done with that fight,” Ngannou said during a press conference Thursday when asked about a fight with Jones. “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.”

Jones, 34, hasn't fought since February 2020 when he defended his light heavyweight title with a razor close win over Dominick Reyes. He vacated the title later that year and announced plans to begin bulking up for a run at the heavyweight championship.

Stipe Miocic was the heavyweight champion at the time, but he lost to Ngannou via knockout in March 2021. Despite the lengthy absence, Jones has still been discussed as a potential title challenger at heavyweight sooner rather than later.

"I don't feel confident saying that Jon Jones is next," UFC president Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto on Wednesday. "Not because I think he's unreliable, it's because I honestly don't know what Jon Jones wants to do next. I think Jon's going to watch this fight, and he'll decide. Maybe he doesn't fight at heavyweight. Maybe he goes back and tries to regain the light heavyweight championship."

Jones has a 26-1 (1) record as a professional with 14 wins in UFC championship fights. His only loss was a disqualification in 2009 due to illegal elbow strikes. Jones also has a no contest on his record after testing positive for banned substances following a knockout win against Daniel Cormier.