“Bones” has a bone to pick over a disputed narrative about crossover superfights and his own 265-pound status. However, Jon Jones liked what he saw in prospect rival Francis Ngannou this weekend. Ngannou won the super fight belt against Renan Ferreira in PFL: ‘Battle of the Giants’ (DAZN/ESPN+).
Ngannou scored a massive win in his MMA return and PFL debut. He took down ‘Problema’ in quite the unexpected wrestling lean. Moreover, he swarmed him with his left ground-and-pounds to knock Ferreira unconscious in the first round (read fight highlights). G.O.A.T. Jones, who floats himself as the best all-around fighter, liked the wrestle-and-strike mix.
What an amazing job Francis did tonight, displayed a complete MMA game. Great kicks, great takedowns. It feels good to see him shine. Wow congratulations Champ, I see you.
Jon Jones via X (@JonnyBones)
Jones is no historian of war (or is he, judging by the tale of tapes); this though, seemed like a tout of his all-knowing base for fighting. Bolstered by UFC CEO Dana White‘s ‘absolute best Pound-for-Pound fighter’ claims this seemed like an underhanded boast. Quite on the lines of “see what you did there” after a 991-day MMA return.
What an amazing job Francis did tonight, displayed a complete MMA game. Great kicks, great takedowns. It feels good to see him shine. Wow congratulations Champ, I see you.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 20, 2024
The heavyweights circled each other in the early 2020s. Jones sat out three years when a fight with Ngannou did not materialize with the right incentives. He only returned to capture the vacant 265-pound belt after his exit. Meanwhile, the Cameroonian went free agent.
Despite their rocky professional history, the co-owner of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) is promoting a “Ngannou vs. Jones” opportunity. With Jones teasing his own swan song, that thought could soon be an afterthought.
It was all for Kobe: Location, super fight, Jon Jones, PFL, UFC, did not factor in Francis Ngannou’s win
Ngannou’s process and perseverance paid off. Ngannou stepped into the PFL cage 1,000 days after his last MMA fight, defeating Ciryl Gane to defend his heavyweight title at UFC 270. Consequently, all it took was three and a half minutes to put Renan Ferreira (13-4) out with punches.
The massive “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event this weekend also marked Ngannou scoring in the win column at Riyadh. The extended Riyadh season opener and “Knockout Chaos” both saw him lose at the spot. However, that was never his ulterior motive. Right after dropping one to 2-time former unified heavyweight Anthony Joshua, tragedy struck. He lost his 15-month-old son, Kobe.
For a while, Ngannou had trouble coming to terms with everything. He didn’t know where he wanted to go amid the mental and material hurdles. However, scoring one for Kobe is all that mattered.
Overall, during the camp, there was days that you break down, and get very emotional. You don’t want to keep going and you just give it a shot…I wasn’t thinking about it like having a win here in Riyadh, I was thinking about it just like a fight for my son, …Keeping my son in memory feels more better than everything. Make people remember him.
Francis Ngannou during post-fight ‘Battle of the Giants’ (DAZN/ESPN+) PPV dressing room media broadcast
The Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov winner could prop itself up as a big opportunity for Ngannou to continue the good fight. As it is, unlike the PFL seasonal bracket, he’d have to defend his belt against rivals out of the woodwork. With a retirement tease after UFC 309 pay-per-view, Jones showdown is unlikely. But ‘Predator’ will have his opportunity to continue his dominance in the manner Kobe would have wished for him. Be it in his backyard or others.
