Francis Ngannou has reacted to the latest Jon Jones win as his mixed martial arts rival Jon Jones scored a second successive knockout win in a UFC heavyweight championship fight, following a decade of dominance in the light heavyweight division.
On Saturday, the 16th of November, Jones manhandled the former UFC heavyweight king Stipe Miocic as he ruthlessly attacked him with jabs, a takedown, and elbow strikes on the mat. Then, in the third round, he closed the show with a brutal blow — a spinning back kick to the body, before following up with hammer blows to the 42-year-old’s skull.
It was an emphatic result that extended the well-rounded American fighter’s pro MMA record to 28 wins (11 KOs and 7 Subs) against just one loss via disqualification, and sets him up on a potential collision course with the UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, or the UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.
But there’s a third fighter out there who wants to fight Jones, too.
Francis Ngannou Appears Keen to Fight Jon Jones
Ngannou reacted to his rival’s win on X, formerly Twitter
It did not take long for Ngannou to issue his challenge, and his response on X immediately went viral.
Ngannou left the UFC as its champion in 2023 and embarked on a two-fight swing in boxing, securing significant paydays to fight Tyson Fury, whom he dropped to shake up the combat sports, and thus earned a shot at Anthony Joshua.
The British slugger AJ breezed past Ngannou with a nasty, second-round knockout but that did not stop Ngannou from returning to MMA, this time with Professional Fighters League, as he took on that company’s heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira in a PFL Super Fight event.
|
Jon Jones’ professional MMA record (as of 17/11/24) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
30 fights |
28 wins |
1 loss |
|
By knockout |
11 |
0 |
|
By submission |
7 |
0 |
|
By decision |
10 |
0 |
|
By disqualification |
0 |
1 |
|
No contests |
1 |
|
The way in which Ngannou obliterated Ferreira was like he had never left the sport, and it generated conversation and debate as to whom could be next for the Cameroonian. One athlete he could fight, either in a boxing ring or PFL SmartCage, is thunderous American puncher Deontay Wilder.
But, until now, Ngannou has remained relatively tight-lipped over his next move, telling Ariel Helwani in late October that his return could be “either” boxing or MMA. “I don’t know yet,” he said.
“I don’t have any hand in that one, I don’t have a decision. I think it also depends on promotion. I don’t know. If next PFL they come up with something with a fight or a date, maybe we’ll work on it. If it’s boxing, same thing.”
The way he responded to Jones late Saturday, though, suggests his old rival in UFC certainly remains on his radar.