Francis Ngannou won’t rule out a potential fight with Jon Jones taking place in 2025.
After 1000 days away from the sport that made him famous, Ngannou returned to brutally KO Renan Ferreira in the first round of their PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants main event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Talk has already turned to what’s next, with MMA fans begging the PFL and UFC to come together to make a champion vs champion fight between ‘The Predator’ and UFC heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones.
A cross-promotion between the two biggest MMA leagues seemed impossible, but now that Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh is involved with the UFC and PFL there is more optimism about Ngannou vs Jones.
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Francis Ngannou responds to Jon Jones sending him a nice message after PFL debut win
Ngannou and Jones have not always seen eye-to-eye, but the consensus greatest fighter in MMA history put their beef to one side to send his rival a classy message in the immediate aftermath of PFL’s biggest event to date.
“What an amazing job Francis did tonight,” Jones wrote on social media.
“Displayed a complete MMA game. Great kicks, great takedowns. It feels good to see him shine.
“Wow congratulations Champ, I see you.”
On Monday, during an interview with Ariel Helwani, Ngannou was asked if he’d seen Jones’ message.
“Yeah, I saw that, I saw his tweet,” he replied. “Whatever it means, I think it’s class.
“He’s saying it in a very nice way so… I see him too, and I will be watching him on November 16.
Jones is set to defend his belt against former two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who hasn’t competed since Ngannou folded him in half with a monstrous KO over three years ago, at UFC 309 next month.
After that, the Cameroonian superstar says he could potentially face Jones in what would be one of the biggest fights in MMA history.
Ngannou added: “There’s a chance. On a level of 1 to 10, I can’t tell how many, but I know there’s a chance. Basically, I know that fight also interests Turki, and not many things have resisted him.”
Francis Ngannou dedicated his MMA comeback win to his late son
Ngannou’ was in tears throughout his post-fight interview after his first MMA fight since January 2022.
Earlier this year, his son Kobe sadly died at just 15 months old. Pre-fight, Ngannou said he would be competing for Kobe, and after he got the win his baby boy was all he wanted to talk about.
“My son Kobe, I only took this fight because of him,” Ngannou said during an emotional post-fight interview. “I hope we can remember his name because without him we wouldn’t be here tonight.
“It’s been tough this past week. Not only the training camp was tough but the last two days were tough, full of emotion. I couldn’t do anything without thinking about it. It’s hard. This is for Kobe.
“Please remember my son, Kobe. I dedicate this to him. This is for Kobe.”
Earlier in the week, during an interview with BloodyElbow.com, Ngannou admitted that he contemplated retirement when Kobe passed away – but after beating Ferreira he was feeling optimistic about his fighting future.
He added: “I knew I didn’t miss a step. I wasn’t worried about it because I knew everything was still there. It was just about me being able to manage my emotions.
“I think my next move in combat sports all depends on me, how I feel, how I deal with my life right now.
“I always thought I still had a lot to give in combat sports and hopefully I keep thinking that way.”