The Predator v Bones? Francis Ngannou Wants to Fight Jon Jones…
Jon Jones has basically wiped out the light-heavyweight division. If he gets past Thiago Santos at International Fight Week in July, there will be no clear cut contender waiting for him at 205. Sure there is a trio of up-and-coming talent on the rise in the forms of Johnny Walker, Aleksander Rakic and Dominick Reyes, but they’re not ready yet.
A move up to heavyweight could finally happen for Jones, who is one of the sport’s most dominant champions. Obviously, there’s the potential of a fight with his despised rival Daniel Cormier with the new dimension of it being in a higher weight class. But there are other options too.
One man very enthusiastic about fight Jones is Francis Ngannou. Possibly the scariest man on the planet, Ngannou is ready for the call, should it ever come.
New Challenge
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Jones acknowledged that Ngannou is a scary fight. The Cameroonian is one of the most fearsome knockout artists in the history of the sport. Sure he can be outwrestled, but stand and bang with him at your peril.
“That’s a scary dude,” Jones said. “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…”
Up for It
Unsurprisingly, Ngannou is very excited by the idea of taking on a man regarded by many as the GOAT of MMA. It would be fascinating to see how Jones would cope with a man as big and powerful as Ngannou. Jones is a big guy with a long reach. Would he be even more effective if he didn’t have to cut weight?
“Personally, I mean, it would be a good fight, first of all for the fans, for me, yes,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “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.”
Big Clash
In the short-term, Ngannou has to worry about the substantial threat of former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. He’s set to fight the Brazilian this weekend in Minneapolis. It’s effectively a title fight eliminator for the two men. Dos Santos just defeated Derrick Lewis, while Ngannou beat Cain Velasquez earlier this year.
Dos Santos has the skill to beat Ngannou, but does he have the chin? Jon Jones will be keeping an eye on what’s going on at heavyweight with interest. The big boys are coming to town.
