Francis Ngannou has insisted he is still the heavyweight king of the MMA.

Ngannou relinquished the UFC heavyweight title earlier this year after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract to remain with the promotion, resulting in his release.

Jon Jones returned to the UFC on Saturday night to claim the title, submitting Ciryl Gane in Las Vegas to become a two-weight champion.

Nagnnou responded on Twitter, reaffirming his belief that he is the greatest, before Jones responded in X-rated fashion in the post-fight press conference.

The two stars have regularly exchanged words over the years, but have never fought in the octagon.

Francis Ngannou has insisted he is still the heavyweight king of MMA despite leaving the UFC

Jones Jones (left) won the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 on Saturday evening

Jones was making his debut at heavyweight on Saturday but looked well at home as he secured a dominant victory over Gane at UFC 285.

He submitted his opponent with a guillotine choke, taking just two minutes to secure the win.

Ngannou responded on Twitter, posting: ‘Good job Jonny Boy. Sincerely, The heavyweight king.’

The post was put to Jones after his victory, with the 35-year-old immediately lashing out at his former rival.

Ngannou left the company undefeated after failing to agree terms on a new contract

Jones, now a two-weight champion in the UFC, provided an X-rated response to Ngannou’s claims

UFC president Dana White (right) has claim that Ngannou will ‘never’ return to the UFC

He said: ‘Francis is a big old p****’, before cheers and applause could be heard in the background.

Jones can stake his claim to being the best ever UFC competitor after the victory but it’s unlikely we’ll ever see him face Ngannou, with UFC president Dana White insisting the Cameroonian-French star will never fight in the company again.

‘We negotiated with him for years,’ White said of Nagnnou via mmafighting.com.

‘It’s over. That’s over. He’ll never be in the UFC again.’