Lineal champ Francis Ngannou sends message to new UFC champ Jon Jones after UFC 285 win

Though he is no longer with the UFC, former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was watching UFC 285 closely in order to see who would get the belt he vacated. Once former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones made quick work of Ciryl Gane to secure the title, the ‘Predator’ took to Twitter to send ‘Bones’ a message.

Although the tweet may start as sincere, Ngannou’s last line gives it a different meaning when he signs it by calling himself the ‘heavyweight king’, since only the promotion stripped Francis of the title, rather than another fight having taken it from him. For now, it only remains to be seen if and how Jones will react to the tweet.

Ngannou (17-3) left the UFC in January once he and the promotion could not agree on his new contract due to pay disagreements. He currently rides a six-fight winning streak, with wins over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane. The 36-year-old’s last loss dates back July 2018, when he dropped a a unanimous decision to Derrick Lewis.

After leaving the UFC, Ngannou has been trying to start his boxing career and has targeted fights against champions such as Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. For now, no bouts have been confirmed for Francis.