Jon Jones heaped praise on Francis Ngannou after his cage comeback last night, but left an ominous warning in a follow-up post.
The Cameroonian is the lineal heavyweight champion of the world; leaving the UFC without ever losing his belt in a fight. During his tenure there had been a clamour to see him face light-heavyweight legend Jones, who was in the process of bulking up while Ngannou was in contract talks.
Instead, the champion opted not to stick around, taking on the challenge of boxing and signing with the PFL for his MMA future. And while Jones picked up the vacant belt, there is still a belief that Ngannou is the rightful champion.
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Francis Ngannou stops Renan Ferreira within one round in PFL debut
After almost three years since his last fight in the octagon, there were concerns with fans as to if Francis Ngannou still had it at the top level. And he didn’t take an easy route back opting for 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira, who stands at 6’8 and just knocked out Bellator champion Ryan Bader.
The Cameroonian had spent the past year pursuing his boxing dream, where he faced Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in two massive money pay-per-view events. He dropped the then-WBC champion on route to a close split decision loss before being stopped by Joshua, impressing viewers across codes.
But he went back to his wrestling against the giant Ferreira, landing a big takedown early that set him up for a ground and pound finish. After overcoming a triangle attempt from the massive Brazilian, Ngannou managed to fire off multiple unanswered shots.
However, fans were outraged as referee Dan Miragliotta waited until the last possible moment to stop the bout. The feeling was that he could have called a halt to the contest much earlier and saved Ferreira from an onslaught.
After being dragged off his foe, Ngannou broke down in tears with his family as he paid tribute to his late son Kobe. Back in April, at just 15-months-old, his son passed away after an illness, and he contemplated retirement.
However, he opted to push forward with a return to the cage, which he dedicated to his son. Now, Ngannou has vowed to rest up as he assesses his future in both the PFL and the boxing ring.
Jon Jones reacts after impressive Francis Ngannou KO
What the MMA community was waiting for after the fight was Jon Jones take on what he had just seen. The UFC heavyweight champion is currently in camp for what he claims will be his final fight against Stipe Miocic next month at Madison Square Garden.
But there is keen interest in a number of big fights for the 37-year-old, including interim champion Tom Aspinall and most notable Ngannou. The pair even faced off last year in Atlanta, and talks of an unprecedented promotional crossover refuse to die down.
As for Saturday night, however, Jones was clearly watching, taking to X to give his take after the fact. He refused to trash talk his rival, insisting that he was happy to see him return and show off multiple facets of his game after a few years out.
“What an amazing job Francis did tonight,” Jones wrote in a message to his nearly 3million followers. “Displayed a complete MMA game. Great kicks, great takedowns. It feels good to see him shine. Wow congratulations Champ, I see you.”
However, his nice act only lasted a few moments as he sent a veiled threat in response to a fan claiming that Ngannou would “smoke” him. “Sure,” he wrote. “Everyone beats me up until they’re in there with me.”