There are no linear champions in MMA, as there are in professional boxing, but from all indications the best heavyweight in the world was and, in fact, remains Francis Ngannou. Fights were always expected from him in the octagon, and a meeting with arguably the greatest fighter in history, Jon Jones, would be a truly monumental event.
They started talking about such a fight a long time ago, around the time when Jones decided that his mission in the light heavyweight division was complete and it was time to move up to heavyweights. It is true that John began with a pause to approach weight gain with caution and care: “Sometimes I think about just sitting and training for two years, and then coming back and criticizing the one who dominated during this period. Isn’t it great? Fight Ngannou? “I think it’s inevitable.”
As a result, Ngannou never waited for Jones and rejected a new contract with the UFC, although he was offered $8 million for the fight with John and was ready to make Francis the highest-paid heavyweight in history. The Franco-Cameroonian was not flattered by such conditions and vacated the championship belt.
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Before this, Ngannou had repeatedly spoken about his potential opponent: “I’m not going to pay attention to this man anymore. He created so much noise that after my win over Stipe Miocic, I couldn’t even imagine that he would have a fight with anyone else in our division other than Jones. He talks and talks, but almost a year has passed and this story continues. This guy says phrases out loud, but then does completely different things, so there is no point in taking his talk seriously.”
Francisco Ngannou
Photo: Zuma/TASS
As a result, Jones’ opponent after his return was Cyril Gan, whom John easily dismantled in the first round, becoming the new heavyweight champion. Ngannou reacted to the victory: “Good fight, Johnny. Sincerely, King of the heavyweights.”
Everyone knows Jones very well and remembers that he knows how to talk trash. Already at the post-fight press conference, he was asked about Ngannou’s words, and Kostyanoy immediately responded with a punch: “Francis is an old coward. I like this phrase. Despite all the muscles on him, he’s just a big ass and a wimp. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”.
Of course, mutual disputes continued. For example, Jones ridiculed the fact that Ngannou went to the PFL and calls himself the strongest heavyweight, and Francis invited John to his territory. In reality, the fighters met at the PFL tournament, but as guests. However, they managed to have a staring duel and exchange a few sentences.
Jones noted that outside the octagon he has no problems with a potential opponent: “I’ve crossed paths with Francis before. He is a guy with soul. Outside the cage he shows respect. I can be very respectful too. If we don’t have to fight, I don’t see any reason to fight, especially when we see each other in person. I know I’m cooler than him. I shouldn’t give him any weird looks or anything like that. He has big muscles, he looks very impressive, but when it comes to fighting, that is my world and I know who I am.”
In general, the scenario of such a battle does not seem the most realistic. Ngannou has a good contract in the PFL, Jones definitely will not leave the UFC. And Dana White does not really like to share profits with other promotions, that is, collaboration between two promotions is practically excluded.
Dana White and Jon Jones
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
This doesn’t stop John from talking about a possible fight. The UFC champion attended the Bellator vs PFL tournament and made his objectives very clear: “I feel like the world needs a lot of fights right now. The fight with Tom Aspinall is really huge. Francis Ngannou and I would be exceptional opponents, and Stipe Miocic is still a great fighter for hardcore fans. I don’t know how the cards will fall, but here’s my prediction: I will beat Stipe Miocic. Also my prediction: I will beat Tom Aspinall and Francis Ngannou. How it plays out is really none of my business. My job is simply to do what I have always done. I don’t feel like I’m in a place in my life where I need to promote myself. I think my work speaks for itself. I’ll leave it as is. “I’ve never lost a fight.”
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Jones vs Ngannou is a great sign, a crazy fight that will attract the attention of even outside fans. The only problem here is that Francis is not in the UFC and left there in a rather scandalous manner, with accusations against management. Ngannou’s coach, Eric Niksik, is confident that the fight is possible, but only if the UFC forgets about pride and organizes a crossover tournament with the PFL.
This will not happen, as the best promotion in the world does not need to share its “piece of the pie.” The only possibility is the return of Ngannou and then we will see the best possible fight. Both from a sporting point of view and from a show point of view.
