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Timeline: Jon Jones’ Move to Heavyweight & Francis Ngannou’s UFC Departure
May 2020 – Jones vs. Ngannou Talks Emerge: After Francis Ngannou’s 20-second knockout at UFC 249, Jon Jones began teasing a move to heavyweight to fight Ngannou. Jones engaged with fans on Twitter and pushed the UFC to treat a potential Ngannou fight as a “super fight” worth a higher payout. By May 21, 2020, Jones was in direct talks with UFC execs but quickly grew frustrated. He tweeted, **“Before even discussing numbers, the UFC was unwilling to pay more for the Francis super fight… Said I could possibly earn more in pay-per-view buys”**. Feeling undervalued, Jones signed off that night with, **“It’s been fun, maybe I’ll see you all in a year or two… Maybe when they’re ready to do better business I’ll come back”**. Days later, UFC President Dana White claimed Jones had demanded “an absurd amount of money,” which Jones flatly denied: **“I never asked for an absurd amount of money. That’s bullshit”**. The back-and-forth culminated in Jones publicly voicing that he’d relinquish his title if the situation didn’t improve.
May 31, 2020 – “Bones Out” Announcement: Jones took to Twitter to declare he was vacating the light heavyweight belt amid the pay dispute. “Bones out… To the light-heavyweight title – veni, vidi, vici,” he wrote, indicating “I came, I saw, I conquered”. He implied he wouldn’t return without serious changes in compensation, saying he was not willing to “hurt myself every time… and not feel my pay is worth it”.
Aug. 17, 2020 – Jones Vacates LHW Title for Heavyweight Move: Jones officially relinquished his UFC Light Heavyweight championship. He thanked his competitors and the fans, saying **“It’s officially up for grabs… It’s been an amazing journey”**. On the same day, he confirmed his heavyweight ambitions after a productive call with UFC leadership. Jones tweeted, **“Just had a really positive conversation with @UFC… Sounds like there will be negotiations for my next fight at heavyweight. All good news, the weight gaining process begins”**. This signaled that Jones and the UFC had at least initially mended fences to pursue his heavyweight run.
Mar. 27–28, 2021 – Ngannou Wins Title, Jones Demands “Show Me the Money”: Ngannou captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 on March 27. Immediately after this win, attention turned to a super-fight with Jones. Jones seemed keen, but he publicly insisted on a proper payday. He tweeted (then deleted) “Let’s play baby”, followed by “Show me the money” directed at the UFC. In the UFC 260 post-fight press conference, Dana White cast doubt on Jones’ willingness, joking, “If I’m Jon Jones and I’m home watching this fight, I start thinking of moving to 185” (middleweight). Jones fired back on Twitter, **“Go to 185? I didn’t gain all this weight for no reason”**, reaffirming he was serious about heavyweight. White responded that all Jones needed to do was “call Hunter [Campbell]” to make the Ngannou fight, yet also hinted “Derrick Lewis is the fight to make” if Jones wasn’t ready. As talk of money swirled, Jones tweeted in frustration, “Conor McGregor wants big money…it’s expected. Jon Jones wants money, now he’s scared” – highlighting what he felt was a double standard. Ngannou, for his part, welcomed the challenge. He praised Jones as “the greatest of all time” and said, “I will be here ready to fight in July or August” if Jones wanted to meet him in the summer. Jones reiterated his interest – **“If anyone is wondering if I really want to fight, the answer is yes… I also really want to get paid”** – making clear that money was the lone obstacle.
April–May 2021 – Jones Changes Management to Aid Negotiations: With the Ngannou bout stalled, Jones made significant changes behind the scenes. In April 2021, he parted ways with his long-time managers at First Round Management, hinting at dissatisfaction with how talks were going. A month later, on May 26, 2021, Jones announced he had hired former Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer as an advisor. Schaefer’s 20+ years of combat sports experience – brokering mega-fights for names like Mayweather and De La Hoya – were brought in to help “make the fights [fans] want to see,” according to Jones. Despite this move, UFC and Jones still could not come to terms on a heavyweight title fight with Ngannou at that time.
July 2021 – UFC Books Interim Title Fight (No Jones): With Jones still unresolved, the UFC moved on for the moment. Citing timing issues with Ngannou’s schedule, the UFC announced an interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis for Aug. 7, 2021 (UFC 265 in Houston). This was unusually swift – Ngannou had won the title only about 3 months prior – and it blindsided Ngannou’s camp. Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, said he was “just as shocked as everyone else” to learn Ngannou wouldn’t be in the next heavyweight title fight, calling the interim booking a “complete shock”. The decision hinted at lingering frictions: Ngannou’s team felt disrespected, and it underscored that Jones vs. Ngannou was off the table for 2021. (Gane went on to win the interim belt, setting up a unification bout with Ngannou.)
Jan. 22, 2022 – Ngannou Defends Title Amid Contract Standoff: At UFC 270, Francis Ngannou fought Ciryl Gane (who by then was interim champ) in a title unification. Ngannou prevailed, winning a unanimous decision despite entering with severe knee injuries. This fight was pivotal not just athletically but contractually: it fulfilled the last fight on Ngannou’s UFC contract (an 8-fight deal from 2017). Leading into the event, Ngannou had been extremely vocal about his contract dissatisfaction. Just days before the fight, he made it clear he would not fight again under the same deal. “No… I will not fight for $500,000 [or] $600,000 anymore. It’s over,” Ngannou told ESPN, explaining that he took the Gane fight to complete his obligations, but without a new contract he’d rather sit out. Because Ngannou won on Jan. 22, a champion’s clause kicked in – extending his contract for one year or three fights – but Ngannou still refused to sign any bout agreement under the old terms. Shortly after UFC 270, he underwent knee surgery, rendering him inactive for much of 2022. During this period, Ngannou consistently reiterated his conditions for a new deal: not just higher pay, but freedom to box and better fighter rights (sponsorships, insurance, etc.). The UFC, however, was unwilling to grant many of those non-monetary requests.
Late 2022 – Negotiation Stalemate: Throughout 2022, the UFC and Ngannou engaged in on-and-off talks. One major title fight was conspicuously absent from the schedule: Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut. The UFC had internally targeted Jones to return by the end of 2022, potentially against Stipe Miocic or even Ngannou if a deal was struck. In fact, reports in December suggested Jones vs. Ngannou was being targeted for March 2023 (UFC 285) if Ngannou could re-sign in time. Ngannou’s recovery was on track, but contract negotiations still hadn’t produced an agreement by the end of the year. By early to mid-December 2022, Ngannou’s UFC contract expired (he had remained inactive through the one-year champion extension), making him a free agent for all practical purposes. Ngannou later said the UFC tried to get him to sign a new deal up until the end, but critical sticking points remained – for example, he wanted a 3-fight deal with no automatic extensions and the ability to box after those fights, terms the UFC was not willing to concede. Sensing a stalemate, the UFC began planning to move forward without him if necessary.
Jan. 14, 2023 – Ngannou Leaves UFC; Jones vs. Gane Announced: In a post-fight news conference on January 14, Dana White made a seismic announcement: Francis Ngannou was officially released from the UFC and stripped of the heavyweight title. White said the UFC had “waived the exclusive negotiating period and matching rights” that could have tied Ngannou up longer, essentially freeing him. He also revealed that Jon Jones’ long-awaited heavyweight debut was signed – Jones would fight Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023. White claimed the UFC had offered Ngannou a deal that “would’ve made him the highest-paid heavyweight in UFC history”, but that Ngannou turned it down. According to White, Ngannou was “choosing to get more money to face lesser competition” outside the UFC. (He alluded that Ngannou might pursue boxing matches, which White viewed as easier fights.) At the same time, media reports confirmed Jon Jones had inked a new eight-fight UFC contract as part of this deal – a sign the UFC was fully committing to Jones as the centerpiece of the heavyweight division moving forward.
Jan. 17, 2023 – Ngannou Speaks Out: Just days after his UFC release, Francis Ngannou gave an in-depth interview on The MMA Hour to explain his side. He confirmed the UFC’s final offer was around $8 million for a Jones fight as part of a multi-fight package, but said his decision wasn’t purely about money. “I asked for a lot of things… but I was expecting one or two out of those things,” Ngannou said, referring to requests like in-cage sponsorships, health insurance for fighters, and the freedom to box after a short contract. Most of those requests were denied. “In that contract, I’m not free,” Ngannou explained. **“In that contract, I have no rights… I hand over all the power to you guys”**. He felt that accepting the deal would have meant “selling [his] soul” and compromising on principles of fighter freedom. Ngannou also scoffed at the UFC’s narrative that he was afraid of top competition: “Maybe [boxing champion] Tyson Fury is a lesser opponent for Dana White,” he quipped, making it clear he intends to fight elite names – just on his own terms. Ultimately, Ngannou said, “I know that I did everything right… I have no regrets” about walking away. He expressed respect for the UFC but asserted **“I just need some respect… and freedom. I need to feel like a man, and own my freedom, control my destiny”**. With that, Ngannou became the first reigning UFC champion to leave the promotion in nearly two decades, setting the stage for his free-agency venture into boxing or another MMA organization.
War of Words – Jones vs. Ngannou (Early 2023): Even after Ngannou’s exit, both fighters and UFC brass continued to reference the unrealized Jones vs. Ngannou matchup in the media. Initially, Jones reacted diplomatically – congratulating Francis on “choosing his own path” and gaining freedom. But as the UFC 285 fight drew closer, Jones’ tone shifted. By February 2023, Jones openly criticized Ngannou for not making their fight happen. “Francis had the opportunity to face me and he opted out… If anyone should be criticized, it’s Francis Ngannou,” Jones told one interviewer. Jones argued that Ngannou fled a legacy-defining challenge, saying **“He had the opportunity to be the guy that dethroned me, and he didn’t believe in himself. He wasn’t willing to gamble on himself”**. In Jones’ view, the record-breaking contract on the table should have been enough, and it was Ngannou’s self-belief (or lack thereof) that derailed the fight. Ngannou responded with calm indifference. “I have no personal problem with Jon,” he said, noting that **“Jon Jones has multiple personalities… sometimes it’s hard for him to figure out who he really is”**. Rather than engage in a insult exchange, Ngannou stated, **“I’m not bothered at all… I see clearly what’s happening. I wish them all the best”**. He suggested the UFC wanted Jones and Ngannou trading barbs to hype a rivalry, but Ngannou refused to play along, instead focusing on his own future. When asked about Jones vs. Gane, Ngannou showed no bitterness, predicting it would be a good fight and saying “I’m happy I got what I wanted” by standing his ground in negotiations.
Mar. 4, 2023 – New Chapter Without Ngannou: Jon Jones defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion, officially closing the chapter on the Jones–Ngannou saga – at least for now. In the end, Jones’ move to heavyweight took place after a three-year layoff, but not against Ngannou, who had been the division’s dominant force. Francis Ngannou’s departure left one of the biggest potential fights in MMA unrealized. Both men have expressed that they were interested in facing each other, but contractual and business hurdles kept it from happening. As UFC President Dana White put it, **“He’s gone – whenever you come to a deal, you get a deal done. If you really want it, you get it done”**. Ngannou, however, stands firm that he did want the Jones fight but on terms he felt were fair – something he was willing to walk away to achieve. Which shows moreso a willingness from both fighters but also, a wish to be valued financially within UFC's ironclad contract and payments
) while many ppl are just looking for a post to just validate what they want the narrative to be... It's frustrating, tbh....
