Francis Ngannou sends warning to Jon Jones: ‘Sit tight, you’ll get your turn’

Jon Jones’ recent diss of Israel Adesanya following UFC 276 didn’t sit well with Francis Ngannou, who came out to support his fellow African champion on social media. Now, Jones and Ngannou are trading insults, with “The Predator” suggesting a fight in the future.

Jones still doesn’t have a firm date for a hypothetical fight against Stipe Miocic. That’s left him twiddling his thumbs on Twitter, which rarely goes well. Following UFC 276, he mocked Adesanya for the Middleweight champion’s, “I’ll have you frozen like Elsa” callout of Alex Pereira.

After Ngannou came to Adesanya’s defense, Jones added, “Look at Francis over there defending Elsa, how cute. I could takeoff two more years and you guys work combined won’t match what I’ve done in that octagon. #Facts”

It didn’t take long for Ngannou to reply.

“You’re definitely a hell of a [champion], but you need to act like one,” Ngannou wrote. “Its ok to be respectful for others achievements bro, it doesn’t take anything out of your success. Sit tight, you’ll get your turn. Sincerely, The KING.”

That’s pretty much textbook Twitter trash talk between fighters, but it’s interesting because most people believe Ngannou is preparing to leave UFC once his contract expires at the end of 2022.

How is Jones going to “get his turn” if Ngannou plans to leave UFC?

There’s always a chance UFC could turn things around with “The Predator” and manage to keep him signed. A big sticking point is Ngannou’s insistence that he be allowed to box Tyson Fury. But, as we learned when Conor McGregor boxed Floyd Mayweather, it’s possible to drag UFC to the negotiating table, albeit kicking and screaming.

If talks between Francis and UFC execs are going better than expected, Jones vs. Ngannou is a no-brainer of a fight. The main thing standing in the way of that match up is fair pay. Both men would rightfully expect to be paid eight figures for a “super” fight of that proportion. But, UFC has made it clear that no one without “McGregor” in their name should expect anything approaching that much for one fight.

At some point you’d hope the promotion would realize bigger fights require bigger paydays, but all that money has been earmarked for Endeavor executives, shareholders and debtors. They’d rather keep 80 percent of a smaller pie than risk allowing a system where a small handful of their top athletes make as much as a mid-level MLB outfielder.

But, if UFC manages to re-sign Ngannou, then it’s a sign anything is possible.