Jon Jones took to Instagram to flex on former rival Francis Ngannou while celebrating his 659th day as the UFC heavyweight champion. The post was Jones’ way to subtly highlight that he’s now tied with Ngannou’s record for longest reign as the heavyweight king in the promotion.
The graphic card Jones shared highlighted the number of days. Interestingly, both Ngannou and Jones’ last two title bouts were against the same opponents — Cyril Gane and Stipe Miocic — whose mugshots were also displayed in the post.
Jon Jones on Instagram Stories pic.twitter.com/LGSF9ARFhd
— MMAFanatic (@FanaticMma10) December 24, 2024
The card highlights the parallels between the reigns of the two champions. However, Jones’ rule, which began in March 2023, has been mired in controversy. In comparison, Ngannou’s time as UFC champ — between March 2021 to January 2023 — pretty much followed the sport’s laws and traditions.
After Ngannou vacated his crown and left for the PFL, Jones captured the belt beating Gane. Since then, he has only defended it once in almost two years. Injury had forced him to sit out for a year.
In his absence, Tom Aspinall took charge and won the interim title to keep the division moving. Technically, upon Jones’ return, the two should have fought to unify the title. But Jones hasn’t been too eager to fight the younger, more athletically gifted British fighter.
Instead, he fought and beat Miocic last month, his first heavyweight title defense. And he is now going for the biggest money fight possible: against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
“Let’s be honest, money’s a big part of it,” Jones told Alex Gonzalez. “But I love fighting too — the history, the legacy, all of it. It’s about more than just the cash.”
While Jones chases the bag, his PFL counterpart Ngannou has shut the doors on a mega fight between the two.
Ngannou done chasing Jones superfight
For years, MMA fans have dreamed about a showdown between Ngannou and Jones. When Francis dominated the UFC heavyweight scene from 2015 to 2022, Jones was keeping a keen eye on the division. At that point, the fight between the two seemed inevitable.
The fight almost happened, but disagreements over pay got in the way. Even after Francis left for the PFL, the “what ifs” has continued. Finally, Ngannou seems to have had enough.
Talking to Seconds Out, Ngannou congratulated Jones for his win over Miocic before shutting down any hope of them meeting in the cage.
“I don’t know why people keep asking — it’s been four years. If it happens, cool. If not, whatever,” he said.
Ngannou’s disinterest is justified. He is focused elsewhere. Francis has already boxed Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua and recently knocked out Renan Ferreira in MMA.
At this point, he is the only true undisputed lineal heavyweight champion in mixed martial arts.
