UFC heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou says he had a conversation with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos and doesn’t blame him for their fight being canceled.
Last week, the UFC announced that Dos Santos has potentially failed a drug test given to him by the U.S Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
As a result, the UFC removed Dos Santos from his upcoming fight against Ngannou at UFC 215.
Ngannou has since talked to Dos Santos and believes there is a possibility of Dos Santos being innocent of any wrongdoing.
“I think anything is possible,” Ngannou told MMAjunkie. “I could not judge him because I know that problem exists. Some manufacturers use illegal products to make it work more. But for us fighters, it’s no good, so I never take it.”
Ngannou went on to say that he doesn’t think the UFC will find a replacement for him to fight at UFC 215 on Sept. 9.
“For the top 10, Alistair Overeem is the only one who is free, who is open right now,” Ngannou said. “The last time I spoke to (UFC matchmaker) Mick (Maynard) he told me they were still looking for something. I don’t think they will have something because I checked the heavyweight division, and I see that all of the top-10 fighters have a fight coming up.”
