One of the biggest MMA bouts that the fans got robbed of was the Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight. There have been various speculations on how the fight would have ended. However, UFC heavyweight legend Alistair Overeem has a fresh opinion about the heavyweight clash.
Alistair Overeem recently sat down with Rampage Jackson on his YouTube podcast. During the conversation, Overeem was asked to predict a hypothetical fight between Francis Ngannou and Jones. The former title contender who got knocked out by Ngannou showed respect to both the fighters and their capabilities.Â
That would have been 50-50. You’re gonna have a lot of tricks like Jon has but one mistake and it’s over and I believe also there was some tension on Jones side for that.Â
Alistair Overeem via The JAXXON PodcastÂ
Rampage Jackson also joined the debate, revealing that Jones would have wrestled Ngannou. Jackson believes Jones is too intelligent to have fallen into Ngannou’s fighting style. The same thing happened when Jones faced Ciryl Gane, known as an outstanding striker. Jones quickly got him down and submitted the Frenchman in the first round.
Jones is currently aiming for his legacy fight against heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic. The final was initially scheduled for UFC 295 but got canceled due to Jones’s injury. However, with recent updates, it can potentially take place in November at the iconic Madison Square Garden. As fight fans, this is another bout that many wanted to see for a long time.Â
Jon Jones vs. Alistair Overeem: A super fight that fans never saw
Back in 2020, Jon Jones fought his last light heavyweight bout and there were conversations about him making his heavyweight debut. This started a lot of speculation about his performance against the top heavyweights. Jones took his time for his heavyweight move. Unlike others, Jones wanted to make his debut perfect and he did that at UFC 285 by winning the heavyweight championship belt.Â
Alistair Overeem vs. Jon Jones fight that never happened (via X)Alistair Overeem was always ready to fight the former light heavyweight champion. Ahead of his fight against Augusto Sakai, the Dutch fighter was asked about potentially fighting Jon Jones in a heavyweight bout. Overeem was respectful towards ‘Bones’ and welcomed him with open arms.Â
Yes, I would do it. I think it’s a great fight. I would feel honored. I think it’s a great addition to the heavyweight division. I’m actually excited. Fresh blood. I’ve trained with him, he’s very capable. He’s tough, he’s good. So I’m excited about that development.
Alistair Overeem via UFC Vegas 9 media dayÂ
Although Overeem defeated Sakai by TKO, he lost his following fight to Alexander Volkov at the age of 41. After that, the fighter retired from the promotion, and the superfight between him and Jones never occurred. Nonetheless, the respect he had for Jones demonstrates what the Dutch fighter could have accomplished in the heavyweight class. As the current champion, Jones is showing the same.
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