UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has slammed Francis Ngannou for kicking with his previously-injured leg.

The return of Francis Ngannou has been one of the big stories of the last few months. ‘The Predator’ hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon since the start of the year when he was able to successfully defend his UFC heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane.

During that contest, he aggravated a knee injury that led to him getting surgery to repair both his ACL and his MCL.

It was known in advance that he’d be out for quite some time and given that he hasn’t been seen since, it appears as if that diagnosis was pretty accurate.

Read more: Joe Joyce says he'd love to fight Francis Ngannou in a boxing ring

Now, though, as the countdown to his comeback continues, we’re seeing more and more footage of him training hard ahead of one of the most highly anticipated UFC returns in recent memory.

However, with Ngannou getting some leg kicks in during a recent video, some have wondered just how sturdy his knee is.

Chael Sonnen, in particular, has questioned the logic of Ngannou even using it that much.

Video: Chael Sonnen scolds Francis Ngannou

“If you just had a leg surgically repaired, why are you using it? Have you guys ever thought of that? Where do you stand? Put yourself in that spot. If you went out there and you just had surgery on a leg, would you go into the gym and start kicking with that leg?

“If you did, would you understand where I would have the right to come out and tell you you’re a fool? Or, are you on the other side of it - ‘no, I most certainly am not a fool. This leg is stronger than ever’. Who cares if it is, how much did you use that leg in the first place?”

Who will he face?

Nobody truly knows what direction the UFC is going to go in but based on the fact that Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic isn’t happening, you’d have to think ‘Bones’ is being lined up for an immediate title shot.

Ngannou vs Jones is exactly the kind of high stakes bout that the company would want to see, especially when you consider the pay-per-view potential it has.

Read more: UFC 285: Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou simulated ahead of proposed fight

Francis would likely be the favourite but knowing how Jon operates, it’s easy to picture a scenario in which he frequently targets the knee of the champion in an attempt to throw him off his game.