Jon Jones thinks he has a finger on how his negotiations with the UFC for a fight against Francis Ngannou will ultimately play out. So far, the prospect of a Jones/Ngannou superfight is not looking so good. Last week, Jon Jones asked for his release ou…
Jon Jones thinks he has a finger on how his negotiations with the UFC for a fight against Francis Ngannou will ultimately play out. So far, the prospect of a Jones/Ngannou superfight is not looking so good. Last week, Jon Jones asked for his release out of frustration of his treatment by the UFC and […]
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou won’t count out boxing after reaching the top of the mountain at the UFC 260, especially since his initial goal was to become a boxing champion in the first place, and now the athlete will seek a super fig…
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou won’t count out boxing after reaching the top of the mountain at the UFC 260, especially since his initial goal was to become a boxing champion in the first place, and now the athlete will seek a super fight with boxing superstar Tyson Fury. Bewildered in France after migrating from […]
Francis Ngannou is considering making his move to the boxing ring after winning the UFC heavyweight title, but he doesn’t plan to face his childhood idol Mike Tyson …
Francis Ngannou is considering making his move to the boxing ring after winning the UFC heavyweight title, but he doesn’t plan to face his childhood idol Mike Tyson …
The UFC is not waiting around to have the new heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, defend his belt. Instead of a Jones-Ngannou match, we will likely see Francis Ngannou versus Derrick Lewis 2 later this year. Ariel Helwani reports that the UFC appears to be moving forward with the rematch. The promotion was kicking the idea of […]
The UFC is not waiting around to have the new heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, defend his belt. Instead of a Jones-Ngannou match, we will likely see Francis Ngannou versus Derrick Lewis 2 later this year.
Ariel Helwani reports that the UFC appears to be moving forward with the rematch. The promotion was kicking the idea of having the rematch happen on June 12th. However, the date does not work for Ngannou. Lewis expressed interest in the rematch and is available to fight once the UFC can lock down a date.
UFC has kicked the tires on Francis Ngannou x Derrick Lewis on June 12, sources say. However the timing doesn’t work for Ngannou (and I don’t blame him; he just won the belt).
Bigger story here, IMO, is, at least for now, they don’t seem keen on waiting around for Jones.
As Helwani states, the intriguing component here is that it does appear the UFC is moving away from Jon Jones as the champ’s first title defense. Ngannou says he wants to fight Jones. However, the former light heavyweight king is in a war of words with Dana White over what he should make for this super fight. White, however, stated that he believes Jones’s contract demands are a move to avoid fighting Ngannou. The beef hit a comical high earlier this month, as Jones posted the two had sat down for dinner to discuss the deal, and White replied that it had been a good night.
I just had a great dinner and the best conversation I’ve had with Dana and a very long time, we got the deal done. Date to be announced soon
Of course, this little April Fools joke had many speculating exactly where the negotiations were. No additional traction was reported until Helwani’s tweet, leaving few surprised that the UFC is unwilling to meet Jones’s terms. Since it appears that a deal between the UFC and Jon Jones to book the fight is unlikely, the rematch with Ngannou and Lewis seems inevitable. However, the timing of the rematch will now be the biggest question. With Ngannou unavailable for a card in June, Helwani suggests that the fight will happen later in the summer or early fall.
Do you think that Francis Ngannou will face Derrick Lewis before fighting Jon Jones?
Francis Ngannou has already been offered his first heavyweight title defense. After Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to become the new heavyweight champ the fight everyone wanted to see was Ngannou vs. Jon Jones. However, “Bones”…
Francis Ngannou has already been offered his first heavyweight title defense. After Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to become the new heavyweight champ the fight everyone wanted to see was Ngannou vs. Jon Jones. However, “Bones” has been adamant he wants to get paid what he feels he deserves. Yet, as the […]
The UFC is not waiting around to have the new heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, defend his belt. Instead of a Jones-Ngannou match, we will likely see Francis Ngannou versus Derrick Lewis 2 later this year. Ariel Helwani reports that the UFC appears to be moving forward with the rematch. The promotion was kicking the idea of […]