Coach: In A Perfect World Francis Ngannou Fights Jon Jones

Heading into his boxing lucifer against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, 1 would person been hard-pressed to find much than a fistful of combat sports pundits who thought erstwhile UFC heavyweight champion Francis Nagnnou had a chance to spell nan region pinch Fury, fto unsocial propulsion disconnected nan upset win. Ngannou exceeded each expectations successful that contest, scoring a knockdown successful nan 3rd information earlier nan MMA fighter-turned-boxer went nan region against Fury. Fury won nan conflict by divided decision, but Ngannou, who had ne'er fought successful a pro boxing lucifer earlier facing Fury, walked distant from nan contest, which took spot successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, pinch a agleam future.

According to MMA Fighting, Saudi royal advisor Turki Alalshikh had already submitted a bid to clasp Ngannou for his adjacent boxing contest. The tract added that Ngannou and PFL leader Donn Davis were looking into a matchup other erstwhile WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder nether nan PFL banner. Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn besides sewage successful connected nan act, discussing a imaginable crossover matchup against erstwhile WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight boxing titleholder Anthony Joshua.

As for Ngannou’s caput coach astatine Xtreme Couture, Eric Nicksick, he would for illustration to spot Ngannou’s existent MMA promotion, nan PFL, activity pinch his erstwhile promotion, nan UFC, to group up a superfight against existent UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

“In a cleanable world, for me, I still want that Jon Jones fight,” Nicksick said connected The MMA Hour. “Hell yeah, I do. Just because I want to compete against nan best, and I deliberation Jon is nan best. I don’t want immoderate much guesses astir who is nan baddest man connected nan planet. Let’s tally it. Let’s do it.”

“You tin make that happen,” Nicksick added. “Both sides tin make that hap if they really wanted to. Set your egos aside, let’s get Allegiant Stadium [in Las Vegas], let’s springiness what nan fans want, and let’s get Jon and Francis, and let’s spot who nan baddest man connected nan satellite is.

“I want to compete against nan best. I’ve said that clip and clip again. It’s nary disrespect to Jon. I deliberation he’s nan champion to ever do it, but I want that opportunity to coach against him, and I want that opportunity to spell hit nan guy.”

There had been discussions astir a Ngannou vs. Jones conflict while Ngannou was pinch nan UFC, but injuries and statement disputes prevented that conflict from getting past nan talking stages. When Ngannou near nan UFC arsenic a free agent, it seemed arsenic if immoderate dream of a scrap pinch Jones taking spot evaporated. However, Ngannou’s stellar capacity against Fury reignited talk of that matchup.

The measurement Nicksick sees it, nary 1 loses if nan UFC decides to co-promote that conflict pinch nan PFL, who Ngannou signed with successful May of this year.

“Everybody wins astatine nan extremity of nan day. Everybody wins. The fans win. The fighters win. The promoters win,” said Nicksick. “Possibly moreover nan UFC because look astatine this way, Francis evidently is benignant of making them eat their words. He walked distant for free, and he’s going retired and doing his thing. At nan extremity of nan day, that’s what we wanted. We wanted to container and do it nether nan Zuffa banner and co-promote. I deliberation anything’s possible.”

“I deliberation [UFC CEO] Dana [White] and nan UFC are smart businessmen,” Nicksick added. “If nan business is right, nan logistics are right, I deliberation you group your ego speech and conscionable make it happen.”