Ngannou Scared Jon Jones, Froch On Beating Usyk And More

Francis Ngannou had intimidated Jon Jones during their recent encounter. 

That is according to the former UFC heavyweight champion’s representative Marquel Martin.  The duo had a face-off during a PFL fight event that they had attended in June.

During the course of that process, both fighters shared some words in an encounter that was very respectful.

This was one fight that the UFC fans did not get to see, as Ngannou ended up leaving the organization as contract talks broke down.

Despite being offered a reported an approximate $8 million to face Jones, Ngannou didn’t sign on the dotted line as he later inked a deal with the PFL. 

Therefore, the chances of such a bout happening are slim, especially since Dana White made it clear that Ngannou was not welcomed in the UFC. But that did not stop Martin from giving his take on the matter. 

Ngannou’s Statement

“I’m telling you, Jon Jones understood that right away. That’s why they do those faceoffs, right? They size each other up and everything.

“Man, I’m a big fan of Jon Jones, but you can tell that he was like, ‘OK, this is a different beast that I’m touching.’ And Francis and I talked afterwards, we both think [Jones] was a little bit nervous. He was a little bit nervous. Oh yeah, I’m telling you. Not like a scared thing or whatever.

“But it was, you had to be there to really understand — there was respect, mutual respect, but as competitors, it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe this wouldn’t be an easy fight like a Ciryl Gane,’ from Jon Jones. That’s what I got. If I’m trying to read [Jones’] mind, he knew good and well this would not be that kind of fight,” Jones

Nevertheless, that is not how Jones saw things. He is the current champion at heavyweight after making a return to the Octagon this year.

Despite being away from the sport for three years, Jones returned to get a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane.

And following their encounter, Jones let everyone know in no uncertain terms that he would have the upper hand in any bout.

“I know that I’m badder than [Ngannou]. I don’t have to give him any weird looks or whatever. His big muscles, he’s a very impressive looking figure, but when it comes to this fight game, it’s my whole world and I know who I am,” Jones

Froch Beating Usyk

Another man who fancies his chances in a street fight, that would require some MMA skills, is none other than Carl Froch.

The Brit is a hall-of-famer after having been inducted this year for his achievements of being a four-time world champion.

Not only that, but Froch was known for fighting all the biggest names. His fights with Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler were indicative of that. 

And this time around, he has backed himself to beat a heavyweight. Despite Oleksandr Usyk being the current unified heavyweight champion, Froch backed himself to come out victorious.

This was part of his wider comments of sizing up any fighter that he comes across. Having said that, though, Froch did rule out getting the best of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

This may be due to the obvious size difference between those two heavyweights compared to Usyk. 

“I stand next to Oleksandr Usyk and he’s about 6ft 2ins/6ft 3ins. I look at him and I think, ‘Yeah, I fancy my chances.’ Not in a boxing ring, in a street fight.

“He’d probably hammer me. But what I’m saying is – when I size somebody up, I think to myself, ‘Yeah, I can have a go here, get hold of him, have a roll around on the cobbles for example.’

“But you look at someone like Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua, I just think, ‘Nah, I’m alright to be honest.’ Too physically big and strong.

“They’ll get hold of you and they’ll ragdoll you.

“That’s what Anthony Joshua should’ve done to Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch, used his size and strength.

“That’s why it was so frustrating to watch,” Froch said 

Nevertheless, Usyk did show that he was capable of keeping a bigger man at bay on more than one occasion.

His consecutive wins over AJ proved that. Although they were in a boxing ring, the star’s Eastern European boxing methods have shown a training regime that is grueling.  

But in any event, these are all hypotheticals until people see a boxer crossover into the MMA world and come out victorious.

So far only MMA stars have done that with boxing but it has not resulted in any success. However, Nate Diaz’s upcoming bout with Jake Paul on August 5th, 2023, provides an opportunity to do just that. 

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