Francis Ngannou Reignites Rivalry, Sends Message to Jon Jones Post-PFL Win
After his successful return to mixed martial arts, Francis Ngannou fired a shot at the UFC’s current undisputed titleholder.
Nearly three years removed from his last fight inside the Octagon against Ciryl Gane, ‘The Predator’ strapped on the four-ounce gloves for a highly anticipated clash with 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira.
Ngannou ended up getting the win via TKO in the first round after putting ‘Problema’ on the mat and forcing a stoppage via ground-and-pound.
Following his successful PFL debut at the promotion’s ‘Battle of the Giants’ pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia, Ngannou reignited his longstanding rivalry with UFC undisputed heavyweight titleholder and consensus GOAT Jon Jones.
“You know it’s a fight I’ve always asked for… It’s been 4 years or more that I’ve been asking for this fight,” Ngannou said of a potential clash with Jones during the PFL post-fight press conference. “So if in the future there’s an opportunity to do this fight, I think if I only ever had one fight to be in, and I had to choose, it would be this one” (h/t Sportskeeda).
will we ever see Francis ngannou vs. Jon Jones?
Jones and Ngannou were heavily rumored to collide in 2022 before ‘The Predator’ ended up putting his heavyweight title on the line against Gane at UFC 270. Immediately following the fight, Ngannou revealed that he would need to take time off to undergo surgery.
Many hoped his first fight back would be against ‘Bones’ who had been plotting his heavyweight debut for years. Unfortunately, the fight never came to fruition and who’s to blame is still up for debate. Ngannou has largely blamed the UFC for not coming correct with an offer while Jones and Dana White have routinely pointed the finger at the Cameroonian.
Regardless, fans are still itching to see who the true heavyweight world champion is. Sadly, it sounds like White is unwilling to play nice with the PFL ensuring that we’ll likely never see Ngannou vs. Jones happen under either organization’s banner.
Jon Jones is scheduled to defend his heavyweight title for the first time on November 16 when he meets Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden.
