Jon Jones has been very active on social media recently, specifically tweeting about a long-discussed potential fight against former UFC and current PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou`s coach, Eric Nicksick, recently suggested that Francis would be “100 percent” open to returning to the UFC someday. Ngannou departed the UFC after feeling undervalued as heavyweight champion, vacating his belt to sign with the PFL as both a fighter and an ambassador for PFL Africa. Since then, Jones captured the vacant UFC heavyweight title, while Ngannou has earned significant income competing in boxing and preparing for his PFL debut.
On Friday, Jones tweeted that a fight with Ngannou was something that would truly motivate him to compete again, unlike a potential bout against interim champion Tom Aspinall. Ngannou issued his response less than 24 hours later.
“You take care of the UFC, I`ll take care of the PFL, and we`ll finally find out who’s the KING OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT,” Ngannou wrote on Twitter.
Both Jones and Ngannou expressed interest in this matchup multiple times after Jones moved up from light heavyweight. However, the fight never materialized, with UFC CEO Dana White stating that Jones demanded “Deontay Wilder money” for it to happen.
Subsequently, White has repeatedly stated he has no desire to work with Ngannou in the future. In contrast, PFL founder Donn Davis has expressed strong interest in making the Jones vs. Ngannou fight a reality through a potential co-promotion with the UFC.
Jones`s last scheduled appearance was a planned title defense against Stipe Miocic last November. Meanwhile, Ngannou made his highly anticipated PFL debut the month before, securing a dominant first-round TKO victory over Renan Ferreira.
