Francis Ngannou still wants to fight Jon Jones someday, but he has other priorities at the moment.
At an open workout media scrum Tuesday in Las Vegas ahead of his boxing match with Tyson Fury, Ngannou had little to say about his would-be MMA rival Jones, who currently holds the UFC heavyweight title. That’s the same title Ngannou vacated this past January when he parted ways with the promotion to pursue free agency.
While they were both under the UFC umbrella, Ngannou and Jones frequently spoke about wanting to fight each other, but Ngannou has since moved on to the PFL and to pursue a pro boxing career, while Jones has signed a long-term deal to stay in the UFC. Asked if he still wants to fight Jones someday, Ngannou is keeping the possibility alive.
“I don’t feel like I need, I feel like I want,” Ngannou said of a Jones fight. “I want, it’s not a need.”
As for how Ngannou stacks up against Jones, the best light heavyweight in history and now a two-division UFC champion, he believes there isn’t much to gain from just talking about it.
“Put us in the octagon and you will find out,” Ngannou said.
As Ngannou prepares for his pro boxing debut against the highly vaunted Fury on Oct. 24, Jones has been booked for his first heavyweight title defense against two-time champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 this November.
Ngannou split his series with Miocic, losing by unanimous decision at UFC 220 and then finally claiming the heavyweight title with a brutal second-round knockout at UFC 260. He’s confident that Miocic will give Jones a run for his money.
“I put 50/50 on that fight,” Ngannou said. “Why? Because I fought Stipe twice and I know Stipe pretty good. I fought Stipe twice and I know he doesn’t look like, but I know how tough he is, I know how good he is. I know very well.”
If Ngannou sounds dismissive of any Jones talk, it’s because he has the toughest challenge of his fighting career directly ahead of him. Fury is undefeated in 34 pro boxing bouts and has dished out plenty of knockouts while staring down some of the heaviest hitters in the sport.
Ngannou’s fearsome reputation has a few giving him a puncher’s chance, but he’s not relying on raw power to surprise Fury.
“In fact, that’s what I’m going to prove,” Ngannou said when asked if he can outbox Fury. “That’s why I’m doing this. I think the one-shot guy, you’re going to get away with one shot for some time, but not always. I have heard that same story before. Looks like déjà vu.”
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