UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has seemingly vacated his belt with a title fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane advertised in Las Vegas.
Ngannou, 36, has been caught up in a contract crisis with the UFC since defending his title against former training partner Gane last January. The Cameroonian claims he has lost millions by turning down new offers from the promotion, as he is demanding terms that would allow him to compete in boxing whilst under UFC contract.
Former interim champion Gane recently called out Jones for a fight at UFC 285 as he wrote on Twitter: "Where you at Jonny Bones? I'm free this March, Vegas." Judging by leaked pictures of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the UFC have decided to go ahead with that fight which also suggests Ngannou has been stripped of his belt.
The fight between Jones and Gane is far from official however, as other reports claim the graphic displayed outside of the arena was a "behind-the-scenes mistake". The UFC's official website also still has Ngannou listed as the heavyweight champion.
Ngannou is expected to be a free agent as the terms of the contract he signed in December 2017 state it cannot exceed a length of five years, meaning the deal would have expired last month. 'The Predator' recently hinted at a move to the PFL on his Instagram, but it's unclear if Ngannou has officially parted ways with the UFC.
Gane missed out on his chance to win the heavyweight title when he was outpointed by Ngannou at UFC 270. Ngannou, who has held the heavyweight title since March 2021, underwent knee surgery after the fight after injuring both of his knee ligaments and has been sidelined ever since.
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Jones, 35, has been preparing for a move to heavyweight for almost three years but is yet to debut in the weight class. The former pound-for-pound No.1, who recently hinted at his return by tweeting: "Champion 2023", hasn't fought since defending the UFC light-heavyweight title for the last time against Dominick Reyes in February 2020.
'Bones' is widely considered as one of, if not the, greatest MMA fighter of all time. He currently holds the record for being the youngest champion in UFC history, achieving the feat at just 23-years-old when he knocked out Shogun Rua. Jones' only professional defeat came in controversial fashion as he was disqualified for illegal elbows against Matt Hammill in 2009.
