Jon Jones recently shared a post on X that shook the fighting community. He claimed that Francis Ngannou is apparently still interested in fighting him, calling it a ‘clash of champions’. He wrote, “Two kings from different roads. Not just one legend facing a mouth that’s hot right now, but two real legacies colliding. That’s the kind of fight that actually adds something special to my story.” ‘The Predator’, quick to respond, told Jones to handle the UFC while he takes care of the PFL. Still, it feels like something’s missing. Jones’ post was based on comments made by Eric Nicksick regarding negotiations with the UFC. But how accurate were Nicksick’s words?
In a conversation with Randy Faehnrich on Verse Us with Eric Nicksick, Ngannou’s coach revealed his take on Jones’ viral post. He was flabbergasted at how people think Ngannou is actually negotiating with the UFC. And the funny thing is that it was ‘The Predator’ who showed Nicksick the post to double-check if he really said that he would come back—which Nicksick refuted. So, what exactly was it?
Nicksick revealed the entire situation in a conversation with Dan Tom and Luke Thomas. Tom and Thomas simply couldn’t help but fantasize about the super fight between Ngannou and Jones. But was the former UFC heavyweight champion actually ready to negotiate his comeback to the UFC? Nicksick said, “Yeah, Francis wants to make himself available to whatever options that he needs, you know. And I don’t know what his deal is with the PFL. He might not even be able to negotiate with any- I don’t know!”
That was when Faehnrich pointed at Ngannou’s post—his reply to Jones. Nicksick clarified, “So, this was never me speaking on behalf of Francis. This was me speaking on behalf of us being fans. Not even as Francis’ coach. It’s like, dude, this is what we would all love to see.” In the post, Ngannou never said no to a UFC return, which means that him being open to make a comeback isn’t breaking news.
A fight between Ngannou and Jones was on the cards, following ‘The Predator’ becoming the heavyweight champions, around the time Jones vacated the light heavyweight title. But that’s not what fans want right now, instead, we’re all waiting for the Jones and Tom Aspinall matchup. Speaking of Aspinall’s stance in the UFC heavyweight title picture, Nicksick said, “I’d hate to see us come and just leapfrog Tom. But yes. That’s the only thing that motivates Francis, too. I don’t wanna speak for Francis. But that’s the fight! It’s Jon and Francis, right?”
Taking a look back in time, we can safely say that Dana White and Francis Ngannou don’t see eye to eye. And Ngannou is one of those cases where the UFC CEO publicly bashed him. But let’s just say Ngannou does agree, and White has the opportunity to make that fight with Jones—would the UFC CEO actually make that fight? Let’s hear from White himself.
Dana White on bringing Francis Ngannou back to the UFC
At the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, Dana White wasted no time in declaring his stance on Jones vs. Ngannou. When a reporter shed some light on Jones’ viral post on X, the UFC head honcho simply said, “Probably not. No.” As of now, there is no way for us to see ‘The Predator’ get back to the UFC. The reason? White (and the majority of the fanbase) wants ‘Bones’ to fight the interim heavyweight champion.
White continued, “It’s Aspinall’s fight. I mean, we’ve been talking to this kid forever about it. It’s his fight. Listen, you can’t make people fight. If Jon doesn’t want to fight, we can’t make him fight. We can try to make him fight. We can throw things at him that want to inspire him to fight.”
It has already been around 2 years since Ngannou parted ways with the UFC—in the ugliest manner possible. He went on to box 2 opponents and lost despite making millions of dollars. Then he fought Renan Ferreira to win the PFL championship belt with a round 1 TKO. For now, his future is indeed trapped in a cloud of uncertainty, given the exodus of many fighters on PFL’s roster due to a lack of events. And the UFC won’t have him back—not just yet.
Would you like to watch a fight between Ngannou and Jones someday? What are your thoughts on Nicksick fanboying about Ngannou’s return to the UFC? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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