Francis Ngannou has theory in 'Jon Jones ducking Tom Aspinall' debate – and picks a side

Francis Ngannou thinks Jon Jones doesn’t need to fight Tom Aspinall.

UFC heavyweight champion Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) received plenty of criticism for not wanting to unify his belt with interim champ Aspinall. After finishing Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, Jones said he prefers to fight light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and would need “f*ck you” money to face Aspinall.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou can relate to the narrative of Jones being afraid to fight Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). When he opted to sign with PFL, Ngannou was accused of running away from Jones by UFC CEO Dana White. Ngannou agrees with Jones’ assessment on an Aspinall fight not doing too much for his legacy.

“I think there’s a negotiation situation here that’s involved that we don’t know all the ups and downs,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “We all know the situation that they use in the negotiation to say, ‘Oh no, he doesn’t want to fight this guy – he’s scared.’ And then that’s how the machine works.

“He’s in the position to claim what he wants, as he said. He said, ‘Aspinall needs that fight. I don’t need it.’ And when you look at it, it’s pretty much true. There’s nothing that he’s going to have more in that fight other than money. But for Aspinall, who’s someone coming and trying to cement his way in the division, that will be everything.”

PFL heavyweight superfights champion Ngannou stakes claim as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight and would love to settle that debate against Jones.

“The reality is, we both know we both want this fight, for sure,” Ngannou said. “And it would be a good fight for us. There’s more to this, like legacy and everything. I mean, I can finish my career at some point, but it will always be great to know that, OK, you faced that guy – that guy who is the best in the sport, to ever do the sport.”