Francis Ngannou andJon Jones is a fight that could become one of theUFC 's best-selling events.- Ngannou, the newest UFC champion, and Jones, the former 205-pound king, are both interested.
- Jones appeared to say on Twitter that super fights require super paydays.
Francis Ngannou's violent victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 on Saturday sets up a heavyweight mega-match against UFC all-timer Jon Jones.
Ngannou scored a thudding second-round knockout at the Apex in Las Vegas and though he had just beaten an athlete considered by many to be
"What's next? I assume Jon Jones," Ngannou said in a statement sent to Insider.
Jones reigned as the light heavyweight champion for much of the 2010s and beat a who's who of big-name fighters like Mauricio Rua, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Alexander Gustafsson, and Dan Cormier.
Though he beat Dominick Reyes in a 205-pound match at UFC 247 in February last year, he left the division shortly after and declared an intention to campaign at heavyweight.
The mega-fight would pit Ngannou, the UFC's heaviest hitter in history and the newest champion, against Jones, who is the best light heavyweight to ever compete in the Octagon.
"He's coming up and they just talked about that fight," said Ngannou. "Let's make it happen."
For the right price, Jones wants it too
It is seemingly a super-fight that Jones wants to pursue, too, providing he receives a super-fight payday.
"Show me the money," he tweeted shortly after Ngannou mauled Miocic.
-BONY (@JonnyBones) March 28, 2021
In subsequent tweets, Jones added: "If anyone is wondering if I really want to fight, the answer is yes. I also really want to get paid."
It is unclear if Jones will indeed become Ngannou's first defense of his recently-won crown.
However, the UFC boss Dana White did say that if such a bout cannot be made, then the promotion could turn to Derrick Lewis, a big-punching Texan with a pro MMA record of 25 wins (20 knockouts, one submission, and four decisions) against seven losses.