Jon Jones has been very active on Twitter recently, including one tweet where he expressed renewed interest in a long-discussed fight against Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion and current PFL SuperFight titleholder.
Eric Nicksick, Ngannou`s head coach, recently stated he`s `100 percent` sure Ngannou would consider returning to the UFC later. Ngannou had previously left the UFC and vacated the heavyweight title after feeling unfairly treated and undervalued. He chose to join PFL both as a fighter and an ambassador for PFL Africa. While Jones became the UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou has earned millions from boxing matches and PFL fights.
On Friday, Jones tweeted that a fight with Ngannou would excite him enough to compete again, unlike facing interim champion Tom Aspinall. Within 24 hours, Ngannou replied.
“You handle the UFC, I`ll handle the PFL, and eventually, we`ll discover who the true KING OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT division is,” Ngannou posted on Twitter.
Jones and Ngannou had both called for this fight multiple times after Jones moved up to heavyweight, vacating his light heavyweight belt. The fight never happened, according to UFC CEO Dana White, because Jones demanded “Deontay Wilder money” for the bout.
Since then, White has repeatedly stated he isn`t interested in working with Ngannou again. In contrast, PFL founder Donn Davis has expressed a strong desire to co-promote a fight between Jones and Ngannou with the UFC.
Jones recently made his first title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last November. A month earlier, Ngannou debuted in the PFL, securing a first-round TKO victory over Renan Ferreira.
Murray Blackwood