PFL’s Donn Davis Confident About Ngannou vs. Jones Fight
PFL Chairman Donn Davis is still optimistic that a fight can be made between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones.
The fight has been teased ever since they were together in the UFC. However, Ngannou left the UFC last year after contract talks broke down. Reports indicated he turned down an $8 million offer, which could have led to a Jones fight. This was reportedly on the basis that Ngannou felt his rights as an independent contractor would not be respected. He would eventually leave the UFC on bad terms, with Dana White categorically saying he would never work with Ngannou again.
Ngannou Vs. Jones
The CEO of the UFC also shut down any idea of co-promotion with the PFL since it made no sense to work with an organization that was doing fewer numbers than the UFC. Ngannou then signed a deal with the PFL. He boxed twice, losing to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. However, he made a successful comeback to MMA on his PFL debut, knocking out Renan Ferreira in the first round, which solidified his position as one of the best heavyweights in the world.
The Predator has said himself that he still feels a fight is possible in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have invested a lot into combat sports, especially in boxing, where they put on the biggest fights. They managed to stage the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, including a rematch on December 21. They followed that up with the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, with a rematch also expected next year.
Davis Reacts
Those two fights were very difficult to make. However, the introduction of the Saudis pushed it over the line, primarily due to the large amount of money they were willing to invest. The Saudis have already invested money into MMA. The PFL vs. Bellator Champs card took place in the kingdom. The Saudis then sponsored UFC 306 as The Sphere, in Las Vegas, held the first-ever combat sports event in the arena. And Davis felt a huge fight is possible later down the line.
“I’m a pretty optimistic guy. I’m a realist from a business standpoint, but I’m always optimistic. Even Jon Jones’s Tweets struck me as very interesting. … That’s a lot different than the last three years. That’s a lot different than the last three years between those two guys. So for me, I’m an optimistic, can-do guy. To me, it hasn’t happened in the past but the future is the future.
“And do I think, since it’s the biggest fight that could ever be made in MMA in perhaps the last or next decade, that’s why I think it’s possible. Because it’s so big and it’s so thrilling. And sometimes people say, ‘What the eff. We’re going to find a way to do it. Let’s find a way to do it.’ So that’s why I think it’s possible,” Davis said
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