Following a series of recent tweets from Jon Jones, one particular post captured significant attention as it expressed interest in a long-speculated matchup with former UFC heavyweight champion and current PFL SuperFight athlete, Francis Ngannou.
Despite his departure from the organization where he held the heavyweight title, Ngannou`s head coach, Eric Nicksick, recently suggested that “The Predator” would “100 percent” consider returning to the UFC at some point. Ngannou vacated the belt after feeling undervalued and mistreated by the UFC, subsequently signing with the PFL as both a fighter and ambassador for PFL Africa. While Jones went on to claim the vacant UFC title, Ngannou has found success and significant earnings competing in both professional boxing and the PFL cage.
On Friday, Jones tweeted that a potential clash with Ngannou was something that genuinely excited him, contrasting it with the idea of facing interim champion Tom Aspinall. Less than twenty-four hours later, Ngannou issued his reply.
Ngannou took to Twitter, writing: “You take care of the UFC, I`ll take care of the PFL, and we`ll finally find out who`s the KING OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT.”
A fight between Jones and Ngannou was frequently discussed after Jones moved up to the heavyweight division. However, the anticipated bout never materialized during Ngannou`s UFC tenure. UFC CEO Dana White previously stated that the fight didn`t happen because Jones was seeking “Deontay Wilder money.”
Since then, White has repeatedly indicated he is not interested in working with Ngannou again. In contrast, PFL founder Donn Davis has publicly expressed his desire to make the fight a reality, potentially through a co-promotional event with the UFC.
Both athletes have competed recently. Jon Jones successfully defended his championship against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November. The previous month, Francis Ngannou made his debut under the PFL banner, securing a dominant first-round TKO victory against Renan Ferreira.
Oliver Croft