Francis Ngannou is gearing up for his first MMA outing in nearly three years, hoping to get his career back on track.
The 38-year-old’s last fight in the octagon was at UFC 270, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane to retain his heavyweight title.
Since then, Francis Ngannou has suffered two defeats in professional boxing, narrowly losing a split decision against Tyson Fury before getting brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua.
But now, ‘The Predator’ looks to reignite his MMA career by making his PFL debut this Saturday, taking on hard-punching giant Renan Ferreira.
Francis Ngannou claims that potential Jon Jones fight is likely to land in Saudi Arabia
One fantasy matchup that UFC fans have been yearning for over the past few years is Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou.
After cementing his greatness at light heavyweight, ‘Bones’ moved up to the heavyweight division last year in a bid to further enhance his legacy.
The 37-year-old came up against top contender Gane for the vacant title, which he claimed in emphatic fashion with a first-round submission over his seasoned opponent.
Now, Jones is preparing to defend his trinket against MMA legend Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, while Ngannou looks for a way to lure him into a monumental showdown.
Still, while we are not yet closer to seeing the pair collide, Ngannou has at least highlighted where the dustup is likely to take place.
“Yes, I think there is more of a chance of it happening in Saudi Arabia,” he told DAZN.
Will Jon Jones fight either Francis Ngannou or Tom Aspinall?
Ngannou, of course, is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for his upcoming battle with Ferreira, seemingly believing that the potential fight with Jones could be staged in the Middle East too.
Even so, with Jones being targeted by UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall as well, one is simply left to ponder whether Ngannou will ever get his opportunity.
Not to mention, too, that the pulverizing puncher has no route back into the UFC following his prickly departure, and has also expressed a desire to return to boxing at some point.