Ngannou Calls Out Jon Jones – ‘There’s Only One Fight'

Francis Ngannou has welcomed a fight with Jon Jones, putting pressure on the latter to take the fight. 

Jones is coming off a third-round stoppage victory against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. That was the first defense of his UFC Heavyweight Title after securing the belt against Ciryl Gane. Jones is in talks over a fight for next year, raising question marks over who he faces next. There is still uncertainty as to whether he will fight Tom Aspinall, the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. Dana White had already said that Aspinall would face the winner of Jones vs. Miocic. Jones indicated that he would fight anybody, provided that he received a significant purse.

Jones’ Future

But he has also said that he does not need Aspinall for his legacy, putting question marks over whether he will retire or vacate the title. A fight with Ngannou is another bout that would offer him life-changing money. However, in order to do that, a co-promotion deal with the UFC would be required. White has ruled this out previously, stating that he will not work with the PFL. He also stated that he would never work with Ngannou again as he left the UFC on bad terms. Ngannou is coming off a first-round victory against Renan Ferreira on his PFL debut, which took place in October.

The victory reminded everyone that he is one of the best heavyweights in MMA. There are no other big fights in MMA, apart from Jones. If the Jones fight is not made, he could have another crack at boxing. There are reports that Ngannou could face Deontay Wilder. They were previously linked with a two-fight deal before Ngannou took on Tyson Fury instead. Although Ngannou lost Fury and then Anthony Joshua, the Wilder fight is still lucrative. But Ngannou wants Jones to fight as he threw down the gauntlet, leaving Jones with something to answer. The CEO of the PFL, Peter Murray, also stated that they are willing to make this fight.

Jones Vs. Ngannou

"Blessings make haters uncomfortable, but they can’t change it. There’s only one fight, the right fight that will multiply your blessings. Ngannou vs. Jones," Ngannou said 

"We’re supportive of it. 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 does UFC want to step up to it or not? Period. 

"He’s just an incredible human and a tremendous fighter and what a great partner. That fight against Renan Ferreira, it was really, in Francis’s words, more than a fight for him. He kept things moving after extraordinary tragedy in his life, losing his son, and that was Francis’ decision to come back into the cage and he was directing his energy. I was very happy for him," Murray stated 

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