Getty Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou could fight soon.
UFC superstar Jon Jones is suddenly optimistic about negotiations with the UFC about his proposed megafight against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, and it means one of the biggest fights in UFC history could now be close to being finalized. Jones revealed in a recent video interview at Jackson Wink MMA Academy in New Mexico that he believes the Jones vs. Ngannou superfight is on its way.
“I think it’s gonna happen,” Jones told Fight Hype. “I think the UFC will eventually do the right thing. I think this is one of the greatest fights of our generation, and it would be really sad if it weren’t to happen. And I believe that it will…It will happen.”
Separately, Jones posted a short video on social media of two people embracing each other and said it would be like that when Jones and UFC president Dana White finally “get this deal done”.
@danawhite and I after we get this deal done @ufc
The implication is that Jones and the UFC have continued to talk about the proposed superfight and that Jones feels good enough about things where they are now that he’s confident the fight is going to happen.
It might even make sense now to suggest that the UFC leaked the story through its television partner ESPN earlier this week about Ngannou potentially facing Derrick Lewis again as part of its negotiation strategy.
That would also put White’s comments about Lewis suddenly being the top option for Ngannou at the post-fight press conference for UFC 260 in a more reasonable context than they appeared to be at the time.
“Derrick Lewis is the fight to make,” White said.
Regardless, Jones told Fight Hype expects the fight to happen.
“My goal is to be the heavyweight champion,” Jones said.
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Jones Continues Training for Superfight
In his interview with Fight Hype, Jones talked about being patient through the process and focusing on the things in his life that he can control rather than worrying about all the other things that might hold him back from being his best in training.
That positive mindset seems to have paid off so far. Jones has put on a significant amount of weight over the past year, and he has no future plans on his mind in MMA other than becoming the UFC’s heavyweight champion.
“There’s no backup plan,” Jones said.
While Jones seemed much less enthusiastic about the chances of the superfight happening after Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic last month, now the UFC’s top pound-for-pound superstar has flipped the script completely.
Now the task for Jones is to fully transform from arguably the top 205-pound fighter in history to a full-fledged heavyweight monster. Judging by his recent posts on social media, he’s already starting to get there.
Jones said he wants to be just as physically imposing as Ngannou on fight night, even more so if he can manage to get there.
“I wanna look like a titan. I want to be the same size as this guy, if not bigger when we get out there,” Jones said.
Ngannou is one of the hardest-hitting and physically imposing UFC champions in history, so Jones will need every ounce of that weight behind his punches if he hopes to have a chance in the fight.
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Jones: ‘Hopefully, the Fight Happens’
Jones believes the fight versus Ngannou will happen, and he plans to win it.
“Right now, we’re just training and just focusing on the things we can control which is being in the best shape. And I think just me getting in shape helps sell the fight even more so. People want to see two titans. Francis is already a titan, and I’m trying to become a titan,” Jones said.
Until the superfight is finalized and announced, though, Jones will continue to train with one goal in mind. Jones wants to capture UFC gold in a second division and enhance his legacy as one of the best MMA fighters ever.
“I got a lot of work to do. Hopefully, the fight happens,” Jones said.
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Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou: ‘It Will Happen’