Add Francis Ngannou to the growing list of fighters looking to take on UFC champ Jon Jones.
Just today (June 27, 2019), fighters like Luke Rockhold and Matt Hamill expressed their desire to get a bout with the controversial MMA great. His awaited trilogy with Daniel Cormier looms large as always, of course, and then there’s this rivalry as well.
But all of those fights save for perhaps the Daniel Cormier trilogy pale in comparison to a possible showdown with the horrifying Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ will take on former UFC champion Junior dos Santos in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., June 29, 2019) UFC Minneapolis. If he’s able to get past ‘Cigano,’ the fight would be an absolute blockbuster.
Jones Down To Fight Ngannou
What’s more, Jones even hinted at a desire to fight the hulking French-Cameroonian during a recent discussion with TMZ (via MMA Mania):
“That’s a scary dude. But, that’s why I’m in it, for it to be hard. I’m aware that the greater the challenge, that’s what makes it great. The hard is what makes it great. There’s a lot of fights at the heavyweight division that are always gonna be extremely appealing. Cain Velasquez, Francis Ngannou…”
‘The Predator’ Responds
Ngannou offered his response to “Bones” in another interview with TMZ, noting he “definitely” wants the fight. In his opinion, the legendary light heavyweight king is almost as big as he is:
“Personally, I mean, it would be a good fight, first of all for the fans, for me, yes. Even though Jon Jones is a light heavyweight, this guy has made his legacy, dominating the whole division. He’s a big dude. I met him once, we almost, we are the same height, we are almost the same thing. I might just have a few pounds on him. That would be a legit fight. I’m here for the challenge, but I just want to take things one at a time. I don’t want to mix them up. But yes, I would definitely want that fight.”
The possibility of Jones fighting at heavyweight has been discussed for years. It only now seems to be a realistic prospect, however, as Jones ages into the latter stage of his career. He’ll take on Thiago Santos in the main event of July 6’s UFC 239 pay-per-view from Las Vegas.
If ‘Bones’ can beat Santos and Ngannou is able to defeat dos Santos, there’s no reason the UFC shouldn’t give fans this massive match-up at some point. The fight is pure fireworks on paper. A lot of things still have to fall in line for it to happen, of course. And Cormier may or may not have something to say about Jones’ first heavyweight contest if he can defeat Stipe Miocic a second time this August.
Do you want to see Jones battle Ngannou?
