ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jon Jones was scheduled to be at UFC 270 on Saturday night, likely near the octagon, to watch the heavyweight title unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. The winner was likely to be his next opponent.

This was planned a week before the event, his relatives told ESPN. But in the unpredictable world of what is arguably the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, things don’t always go as planned.

“Right now I’m on a perfect workout routine, I don’t want to disrupt it for anything,” Jones told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a text message days away from UFC 270. “No need to flatter these big boys. I’m excited to get the job done when the time is right. »

Instead, Jones took to Twitter on Saturday to comment on the fight – which he publicly called lackluster – and the performance of Ngannou, the man who left Honda Center as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. UFC after a unanimous decision victory.

“At the end of the day I can beat them both up,” Jones wrote on Twitter, before deleting his post.

Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, also hinted at his retirement and shot Gane an arrow, writing that he likes how “everyone is impressed with the new one.”

“If this is the pinnacle of heavyweight fighting, that excites me,” Jones added. “I have other records to beat. »

Former Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who advises Jones in his negotiations with the UFC, is also very confident that Jones will beat either Ngannou or Gane.

” The way that [Jones] prepared to move up to heavyweight is unheard of in UFC history,” Schaefer told ESPN. “He’s not chasing a bigger purse and he’s not looking to move up the hierarchy. No. He prepared mentally and physically to be heavyweight champion. It will be the biggest night in UFC history. »

As always seems to be the case with Jones, this won’t be a direct path to a satisfying ending. Ngannou said he suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee and damaged his anterior cruciate ligament three weeks before facing Gane. He thinks he has to have an operation. On top of that, Ngannou is in the midst of a very public contract standoff with the UFC.

UFC president Dana White did not put the belt around Ngannou’s waist after the fight and did not attend the press conference, two things that have become customary for White on fight nights. important. Ngannou would have become free to agree with the organization of his choice if he had lost. But in retaining the title, the UFC champions clause applies, meaning Ngannou will still be under contract for three fights or a year, whichever comes sooner.

Ngannou has vowed never to fight again under his current contract and has openly expressed his desire to take up boxing. It’s very possible that this will be the last time we see Ngannou in the octagon as he is due to undergo surgery and will become free as air in early 2023.

Ngannou said after his win over Gane he was “excited” when he dethroned Stipe Miocic in 2021 because Jones was seen as the next contender. But things have gotten complicated on several fronts since then.

“Since I won that fight, I’ve never heard of him,” Ngannou said. “So at this point I don’t really know what’s off the table anymore.”

If Ngannou is kept out of UFC action for an extended period, or maybe even for good, Jones could face Gane for the interim title, or former champ Miocic. Miocic has expressed some interest in a fight against Jones. Derrick Lewis could also get back into the race by defeating Tai Tuivasa on February 12 at UFC 271.

Jones and his team expect to get the next title shot.

“We just have to see how it goes in the next few weeks,” Schaefer said.

Jones, 34, hasn’t fought since February 2020, when he scored a close unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 to retain the UFC light heavyweight title. In August 2020, Jones vacated his light heavyweight belt with the goal of moving up to heavyweight and challenging for the title.

At this time, the UFC’s top brass aren’t ready to comment on that possibility.

“I don’t feel confident saying Jon Jones is next and not because I think he’s unreliable,” White told Okamoto last week. “It’s because I honestly don’t know what Jon Jones wants to do next. I think Jon is going to watch this fight and maybe decide that he won’t fight at heavyweight. Maybe he’ll try to win back the light heavyweight championship. Honestly, I don’t know the answer to this question. »