Getty (Clockwise, starting at the top left): Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier & Francis Ngannou.
Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou versus former light heavyweight king Jon Jones could be a pay-per-view blockbuster for the UFC, and Daniel Cormier has predicted a winner.
“DC,” who held both the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight belts, knows Jones very well, fighting him twice at 205 pounds. Cormier and Jones fought at UFC 182 in January 2015 and UFC 214 in July 2017. Bones won by unanimous decision in their first contest and via KO in their second, however their UFC 214 result was overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for turinabol, a performance-enhancing drug.
The two have maintained bad blood for over half a decade now, but that didn’t stop Cormier from making an objective pick. During Monday’s “The MMA Hour,” Ariel Helwani told his guest, former three-time UFC title challenger Kenny Florian, that Cormier had texted him and picked Jones to beat Ngannou.
Ngannou is coming off his first title defense. He beat interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last weekend via unanimous decision.
“Our old friend DC texted me after the fight and he said, and you know how hard it is for him to admit this, he said Jon Jones beats Francis,” Helwani said.
Helwani disagreed with Cormier’s winner prediction, citing Ngannou’s knee injury going into UFC 270. “I couldn’t disagree more,” Helwani said. “You have to remember the knee. He wasn’t at 100%.”
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Jones Tweeted About Ngannou & Gane During UFC 270
GettyFrancis Ngannou (L) and Ciryl Gane (R) fight for the heavyweight title at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270.
Ahead of UFC 270’s Ngannou vs. Gane, a fan asked Jones on Twitter for his prediction and the former champion replied: “Really have no clue who’s going to win, I’m just excited to watch the fight. Going to learn so much about the both of them no matter how it goes down.”
While Ngannou and Gane were fighting on January 22, 2022, Jones took to Twitter to bash the combatants. “If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it,” Jones wrote. “Got some more records to break.”
If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break
Jones got some more tweets in, and you can read more about that by clicking here.
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Jones Hasn’t Fought In Nearly 2 Years
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesJon Jones steps on the scale during the UFC 247 ceremonial weigh-in on February 7, 2020.
Jones last stepped inside the Octagon in February 2020 when he defended his 205-pound strap against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. “Bones” vacated the belt in the summer of 2020, announcing his move north of light heavyweight.
Fast forward around a year and a half later, and Bones still hasn’t made his debut. Jones has said on multiple occasions that he plans to fight this year, and he’s made it clear that he’s eyeing the heavyweight belt.
READ NEXT: Jon Jones Slams Francis Ngannou’s Fight at UFC 270 [LOOK]