JAKARTA – UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has expressed his readiness to fight Jon Jones who wants to return to the octagon. He is also confident that he will win the duel if the fight is real.
Ngannou was enthusiastic about fighting Jones before his last duel against Cyril Gane at UFC 270 in January. However, at that time the UFC did not thoroughly discuss the idea.
However, now the discourse of the duel of these two fighters has surfaced again. Apart from contract problems and injury problems that forced Ngannou to have knee surgery after defending his title against Cyril, the opportunity for this fight is open.
"I'm sure (to win), but this is a challenge. A very tough challenge. I know his skills, and I know how dangerous he is," said Ngannou as quoted by Give Me Sport.
Jones, who is 34 yet, is fighting again after his controversial win against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 2020. Since then "Bones" has focused on increasing his weight so he can fight in the heavyweight division.
Meanwhile, while it's possible Ngannou will fight in the UFC again, his recent knee surgery is likely to mean that UFC fans will have to wait at least until late 2022 or early 2023 before seeing him take on Jones.
"I think fighting him, I always thought it would be a great fight for me. A great test, a great challenge, because by far he is the most complete and skilled fighter," said Ngannou.
"You just have to see how he dominates at light heavyweight. Being the strongest isn't enough. You have to bring something more than that to win your fights fighting a pro with a lot of experience, he's seen it all. So come on! " Ngannou continued.
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Previously, Ngannou was also ready to cross into the boxing ring for a fight with heavyweight king Tyson Fury. He even has openly wanted to get into the boxing ring which was his childhood dream.
However, UFC legend Georges St-Pierre is reportedly against the plan. He thinks Ngannou only wants to die if he really gets into the boxing ring against Furry.
"I'm afraid if they fight by the rules of boxing. Furry has been boxing all his life. Maybe there Ngannou will get a raw bombardment. Sometimes that punch can destroy someone's career," said Georges.
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