Jones was willing to step up a weight division to take on the feared Ngannou, revealing that negotiations over a "super fight" had begun late on Thursday.

But shortly afterwards, the pound-for-pound number one lambasted talks with the UFC as "unbelievable" and predicted he would spend at least a year out of the ring after their offer fell short of his expectations, with Ngannou later echoing his opinion that their potential fight had been undervalued.

"Before even discussing numbers, the UFC was unwilling to pay more for the Francis super fight and for me to move to heavyweight," explained Jones, tweeting to his following of more than 2.3 million within two hours of claiming that he was in discussions with championship bosses.

"[They] said I could possibly earn more in pay-per-view buys. Maybe when they’re ready to do better business I’ll come back, [but] until then, health, fitness and family. It’s been fun you guys, maybe I’ll see you all in a year or two."

The notoriously reactionary Jones then seemed to suggest that negotiations could reopen, adding: "I should've worded that differently. I actually think these guys do great business. Right now things just aren’t where I want them to be."

Ngannou, who won Performance of the Night at UFC 249 with a rapid win over Jair Rozenstruik, also said he had been left in limbo by the stalled talks.

"In my opinion, the UFC aren't willing to make this Jon fight happen – or at least for what it's worth," he told fans. "No title fight, no super fight, who knows when my next fight is going to be? Hope it's not in another 11 months or so."