Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has heaped praise on the current titleholder, Jon Jones.
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Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has heaped praise on the current titleholder, Jon Jones, affirming his belief that Jones is the greatest fighter in the annals of mixed martial arts. Ngannou, who held the heavyweight title after defeating Stipe Miocic and successfully defending it against Ciryl Gane, was eventually stripped of the title due to contract disputes with the UFC.
Meanwhile, the iconic light-heavyweight champion Jones made the transition to heavyweight and secured the title, solidifying his status as a rare two-weight world champion in the process.
As he readies himself for his inaugural boxing match against WBC champion Tyson Fury, Ngannou openly acknowledges Jones as the ultimate fighter in the history of combat sports. While he remains eager for a showdown with the American fighter and even had a face-off at the PFL promotion event in Atlanta this June, Ngannou believes that securing a victory in that bout would be the ultimate proof of his prowess.
During his appearance on Complex’s GOAT Talk series alongside his new coach Mike Tyson, Ngannou found himself in a discussion about the greatest fighters in MMA. In a light-hearted manner, he initially quipped that his pupil was the right answer. In response, the boxing legend mentioned, “There are many I admire, like Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov.”
“There’s a lot of great ones coming up. New guys. I have to go with Jon Jones because of all the adversity and all he went through and he still managed to become champ.” Ngannou agreed, adding: “As long as I want to fight Jon Jones I still think he will be my GOAT MMA fighter, because he’s just so good.”
Ngannou and Jones had a face-off earlier this summer at a PFL event held at the OTE Arena, expressing their mutual interest in a potential bout. However, considering Ngannou’s recent signing with the second-largest MMA promotion and Jones’ affiliation with the UFC, the prospects of this matchup appear progressively dim.
Instead, Jones is set to go up against Miocic as the main event at Madison Square Garden on November 11 during UFC 295. This fight will take place a mere two weeks after Ngannou’s highly anticipated boxing debut in Saudi Arabia against Tyson Fury. The boxing match carries substantial financial stakes and aims to determine the ultimate “baddest man on the planet.”
Ngannou has brought on board the legendary former heavyweight champion Tyson to provide the final touch to his coaching team, keeping the rest of his team largely consistent from his MMA days. Despite being a significant underdog in his bout against Fury, Ngannou is widely recognized as one of the most formidable punchers globally, presenting a genuine challenge to the undefeated boxer.
