When it comes to the UFC, Dana White is usually the man to call the big decisions. Recently the UFC president declined any chance of the former Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s return inside the Octagon. But now Jon Jones’ agent, Richard Schaefer has shared some info that keeps hope alive.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. pic.twitter.com/UrHAicl1Af
— BONY (@JonnyBones) March 2, 2023
What did Jon Jones’ agent say about rebooking the Francis Ngannou fight?
Richard had this to say about the highly anticipated Jon vs Ngannou fight, “I do hope that somehow, even though [UFC President] Dana [White] was very clear that [Ngannou is] never gonna come back, as they say, never is a long time. If it makes sense for UFC from a financial point of view, I think they’ll be open to do that fight…”
He continued, “This is now something which I can help, because I do have a nice relationship with people with Francis. If I could help to smooth the way and try to get that fight done and be sort of like, an intermediary, to get two sides on the same page, I’ll be happy to do that, because I do think it’s why people would want to see. I told [UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] and Dana that before, a year ago, I said I do believe that that fight would break pay-per-view records.”
Can Jon Jones’ agent actually make this fight happen?
First, let’s ask the question, is Dana White a man of his word? The answer would probably be no. There was a point when Dana White did not want to have women fighting for the UFC. Then came Ronda Rousey, who broke a bunch of records, and now Women fight across three divisions for the organization.
Dana is also currently, hosting the ‘Power Slap League’ which has been criticized by many. Why does the UFC president still insist on hosting such a tournament? Money of course! General speculations project a huge fan turnover for a potential Ngannou vs Jones matchup, will the UFC head honcho be able to resist?
Francis seems to be eyeing a boxing match against the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. If the Cameroonian gets offered $30/$40 million paydays to box, he may not consider returning to MMA. But considering his earlier performances as a boxer, it’s probably best to not expect much from him.
It’s unclear if Jones will stay with the UFC for a long stretch of time. If he retires after 1 or 2 title defenses (The first one already scheduled against Stipe Miocic) then he could fight ‘The Predator’ as a free agent. This way, ‘Bones’ could be looking at arguably the biggest payday of his life while also gaining bragging rights.
Would you be interested to see the current and former heavyweight champions collide?
