Francis Ngannou won the UFC heavyweight title in March with a decisive KO win over Stipe Miocic. The win was revenge for Ngannou, who was soundly beat by Miocic the first time they met back in 2018.
As soon as he was crowned champ Ngannou had his next match-up on his mind. Both he and former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones seemed to agree that a fight between them would be the biggest spectacle the Octagon could host this year or next.
However, the UFC had other ideas. The promotion balked at the idea, because both Ngannou and Jones were steadfast in their opinions that such a fight would require a bump up in pay.