Francis Ngannou admits Jon Jones is still the fight he really wants.
Ngannou vs. Jones is one of the biggest fights to make in MMA, but it seems like a bout that will never happen. Jones has retired from MMA, while Ngannou is set to fight for MVP Promotions, and a return to the UFC seems unlikely. However, Ngannou said that the fight is the one he really wants and hopes it can happen.
“Jon Jones is the fight that I really want to have before my retirement,” Ngannou said to ESPN. “But other than that, it could be anybody, I don’t care. As long as it’s a fight. I’m not saying it’s a fight that would define my career or something, but if I had to pick, okay let’s do this one and go home, then it would be Jon Jones.”
Although Ngannou is hopeful it will happen, it does seem unlikely it will happen at this point.
Francis Ngannou believes Jon Jones fight was never real
However, there were rumors of a Ngannou-Jones super fight over the years, but the former UFC heavyweight champion said that it wasn’t real.
Instead, Ngannou believes Jones was just using his name as leverage and bait during his negotiations and didn’t have much interest in the bout ever taking place.
“Disappoint me? No,” Ngannou said about missing out on fighting Jones. “It was never really on the table, so I don’t have to be disappointed. The only time that he seems like a possibility was when he was used as bait, something to bait me.”
Instead, Ngannou will return to MMA on May 16 against Philipe Lins on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card. It will be his first fight in MMA since October of 2024, when he TKO’d Renan Ferreira in the first round in his lone PFL appearance.
Who do you think would have won, Jon Jones or Francis Ngannou? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!