Ngannou Should Only Fight Jones In MMA – Says Matt Brown
In some MMA news, Francis Ngannou’s sole fight in MMA should be against Jon Jones.
That is according to Matt Brown. The talk over the fight has been brewing ever since Ngannou’s departure from the UFC. The former UFC heavyweight champion had reportedly been offered an $8 million deal only to turn it down.
Ngannou’s reasoning was clear in that the deal would not make him an independent contractor: thus removing any freedom and flexibility he may have had. Thereafter, Dana White made it clear that the UFC would not be working with the fighter.
Since then, Ngannou has signed a lucrative deal with the PFL, raising questions over the fight once more. But in order for it to realistically happen, both the UFC and the PFL would have to come together to do a cross promotion. With that being said, Brown felt that should be Ngannou’s focus.
“If somehow – [and] we know it’s not going to happen – the UFC co-promotes with PFL and it’s Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou. That’s the biggest fight you could make in MMA history. Now’s the time to strike if they’re ever going to do that.
“Obviously, Jon’s got to come back from his injury, and no offense to Stipe [Miocic] — I’m friends with Stipe, I’m a gigantic Stipe fan — but if I’m Jon Jones, I go talk to Dana [White] and I say, ‘Bro, let’s make this happen, let’s do the co-promotion. It’s not going to kill the UFC. It’s not going to make the PFL a competitor to the UFC in any way, in my opinion,” Brown
Despite this being the case, Ngannou’s boxing debut against Tyson Fury may alter his plans. The former put on impressive performance against the WBC heavyweight champion to last the distance and drop the latter in round three.
While Ngannou came up short on the scorecards, he has since then been linked with a Fury rematch and fights against Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua. Meanwhile, PFL founder Donn Davis has suggested that Ngannou’s next fight won’t be in MMA.
“Francis is making plans. I heard him on your show. He said he’s making decisions in the next two weeks. We know what he’s working on. I think there is a path of one of two ways: I think there’s a boxing path for him next, and I think there’s a mixed fight for him next,” Davis stated
Ultimately, a fight with Jones is the one that the MMA fanbase are hoping for. However, Bones is currently out injured after having damaged his pectoral muscle during sparring as he prepared to face Stipe Miocic.
Although Jones has undergone surgery, the fighter will be out for some time. And if he does end up facing Miocic and secures a victory, there is every chance that Jones does walk away from the sport.
So, moving forward, the jury is still out on an Ngannou fight. Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingblitz.
