Francis Ngannou believes he matches up pretty well with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
With Jon Jones expected to make his UFC heavyweight debut later this year, is Francis Ngannou worried ‘Bones’ will cut the line for a title shot?
No, not in the slightest.
“Why should I be worried?” Ngannou told MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin in a recent interview. “No, I’m not worried.”
Ngannou is on a four-fight KO streak and is expected to get the next crack at reigning heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, who originally beat ‘The Predator’ via unanimous decision in January 2018.
If Ngannou avenges his loss to Miocic and wins the belt, the Cameroonian knockout artist is excited about the prospect of facing Jones in his first title defense, believing himself to matchup ‘pretty well’ with the former two-time UFC light heavyweight titleholder and pound-for-pound great.
“It’s obviously something that everyone would love to see,” Ngannou said of the Jones matchup. “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.”
“I think I match up pretty well with Jon Jones,” he added. “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.”
Ngannou is the most dangerous knockout artist in the UFC while Jones is one of the most well-rounded and craftiest veterans in the sport. His coaches at JacksonWink MMA believe Jones’ ‘fight IQ’ will be the difference maker at heavyweight and are confident in his chances of winning the belt.
Miocic vs. Ngannou is expected to take place later this year with Jones teased to fight the winner for the heavyweight title. Expect an official fight announcement in the coming weeks.