Ngannou Rules Out A Jon Jones Fight

Francis Ngannou has no interest in facing Jon Jones in an MMA fight. 

The Predator left the UFC last year as contract talks broke down, ending any hopes of the Jones fight. Dana White responded emphatically by saying he would never work with Ngannou again. White has also dismissed any chance of conducting a co-promotion with the PFL despite the increasing Saudi influence. Francis went on to sign with the PFL and made his debut in October. He stopped Renan Ferreira in the first round to become the PFL Heavyweight Champion. There has been speculation that Ngannou and Jones could face off next year. The Saudis have said this is a fight they would like to make. 

“We’re supportive of a [crossover fight]. I mean, the fighters want the fight, Jon Jones wants the fight, Francis wants the fight, we want the fight, our partners here in Saudi want the fight. It really comes down to if UFC wants to step up … period,” Peter Murray (PFL CEO) 

Ngannou Vs. Jones

But Jones is also facing increasing pressure to fight Tom Aspinall. Aspinall is the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. He stopped Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 to put himself in a title shot. Jones defended his heavyweight title by beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Given the mass preoccupation with making the Aspinall fight, Ngannou’s focus appears elsewhere. Ngannou spoke about his desire to face Tyson Fury in a rematch. He faced Fury on his boxing debut last October. He dropped Fury in the third round but missed out narrowly on the scorecards in a split-decision loss.

But some in the boxing community felt he had been deprived of a historic win. Ngannou’s next boxing fight ended in defeat too. Anthony Joshua knocked him out in the second round. But Ngannou is keen on rematching Fury, who faces Oleksandsr Usyk on December 21. The Fury rematch offers Ngannou another big purse as he earned a reported $10 million in the first fight. And if there is a significant demand to make it happen again, he could earn something similar. That was Ngannou’s focus moving forward, as well as a possible Joshua rematch. 

Ngannou Reacts

“It’s been four years that I’ve been saying it, I’m confused that people keep asking me this question. It’s been four years! That’s not my problem, I don’t care about it anymore. If it happens, yes, if it doesn’t, f— it. What I do know for sure is that I want a rematch with Fury. 

“The rematch with Joshua, honestly I felt very off and not very comfortable in that fight. It’s definitely something that could happen, but … I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I didn’t like the Joshua fight. I think things wasn’t right. Nothing was right. And if it’s going to be the same scenario, I’m not interested,” Ngannou said 

While the Ngannou-Jones fight looks unlikely, the Saudi influence does not completely rule it out.