Francis Ngannou believes he matches up well with Jon Jones.
Although he has been frustrated with his overall lack of activity, Ngannou is expected to face current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a rematch in the first quarter of 2021.
The winner of that fight could end up facing former light heavyweight champion Jones who will be making his long-awaited move up this year.
And Ngannou is notably looking forward to a potential clash with the pound-for-pound king — especially after a meeting last year failed to come to fruition.
“It’s obviously something that everyone would love to see,” Ngannou told MMA Fighting. “If I were to say myself, I would have liked to see that fight. I wanted it to happen. If this fight would have happened, I would have been active by now. If I have two positive things, which is fighting Jon Jones, who is probably the greatest of all time, the No. 1 pound-for-pound in the world in my opinion, but the main thing I would stay active.
“Because right now, right here, it’s just lacking. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know what I am doing exactly. Having a fight is a good fight and having a big fight is a great thing. That’s something I’m looking forward to.”
Jones has been bulking up in preparation for his move up to heavyweight and like many in the combat sports world, Ngannou believes his skills at light heavyweight will translate a division up.
That said, he still feels he matches up well with the former 205-pound king.
“I think I match up pretty well with Jon Jones,” Ngannou said. “He’s gaining weight now. He seems really big and strong, but I think I match up pretty good. He has some good skills that he can match my power. It’s going to be different.”
It’s definitely one of the most highly-anticipated fights in recent memory. Hopefully, we get to see it take place later this year.
Who do you have winning in a Jones vs. Ngannou fight?