Jon Jones will face France’s Cyril Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena on March 8 after champion Francis Ngannou vacated the belt to enter free agency, UFC president Dana White told a news conference.
Speaking after an event at the UFC’s Apex venue, White said on Saturday that despite two years of negotiations with the 36-year-old Ngannou an agreement could not be reached and that the heavyweight was leaving the company.
“We offered Francis a deal that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company, more than [former champion Brock] Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down,” White said….