Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou would have been a blockbuster fight. Once rumored to be in the works, the fight drifted into indefinite limbo due to various circumstances. Since then, much has changed; Ngannou left the UFC and joined the PFL, while UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is now preparing for a legacy bout against Stipe Miocic. In the wake of these developments, Jones’s coach has once again reignited hopes for a potential clash against ‘The Predator’.

Jon Jones’s longtime coach, Brandon Gibson, recently spoke to MMA Fighting’s SBN. After all, Jones’s UFC 309 fight against Miocic is just around the corner. But during the conversation, the coach talked about how Jones versus Ngannou was a fight that fans missed. Gibson stated, “And obviously, Francis, right?”

“Like, maybe there’s still potential with Francis down the road—who knows? I’m never going to count that one out. But yeah, there have been some great UFC heavyweights,” he said on MMA Fighting on SBN.

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Similarly, Bones versus Cain Velasquez intrigued people years ago, but a potential matchup between them never really took place. Back then, ‘Bones’ was a light heavyweight fighter. But could the Ngannou fight take place? Here’s the thing: Ngannou is in PFL, whereas Jones is the UFC heavyweight champion. If the latter retires after UFC 309, he could talk to Ngannou’s team about a potential fight.

There is a possibility that the PFL could support such a big clash. After all, they let Ngannou venture into boxing—something the UFC was not on board with.

Interesting Fact: Jones versus Velasquez may have not happened, but back in 2019 (UFC on ESPN 1), Ngannou had clashed with the latter. He defeated Velasquez via KO in round 1.

Despite Jon Jones’s coach acknowledging the possibility of a fight between ‘Bones’ and ‘The Predator’, it may not happen under the UFC banner, as Dana White previously shared his honest take on the idea.

What is Dana White’s take on Ngannou vs. Jones?

There are two types of people that Dana White sees as a sore point. One group consists of those who deny that Jon Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter. The other are those fans who keep demanding Francis Ngannou versus Jones. The former parted ways with the UFC and White two years ago due to professional disagreements. Things got quite messy as the former UFC heavyweight champion made negative public statements about the promotion back then.

The rivalry between them is not going to be settled anytime soon. Shortly after leaving the UFC, the French-Cameroonian took a leap of faith and signed with the PFL. Unfortunately, the hopes of fans wanting to see a battle of legends in the octagon have faded, even as discussions about a cross-promotion fight night event continue.

This sentiment was echoed last year by a reporter at the UFC 295 press conference, but White poured cold water on the fans’ hopes when he stated, “No, I’m not interested in that. We tried to make that fight; they didn’t want to do it, and it’s done… I’m not interested. We’ve got one, two, and three [top-selling pay-per-views in the MSG]; they [the PFL] can’t sell a f***ing gate… It’s a stupid question. Why should I do that?”

All the indirect back and forth between White and Ngannou led people to think that the latter ducked ‘Bones’ but in August, ‘The Predator’ came forward to set things straight. “That’s the new narrative… [Dana White] had to say something. As far as I’m concerned, Jon Jones didn’t want to fight me, according to [the UFC]. So many times we sat down to make the fight and they said, ‘Oh it can’t happen, Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight anymore.'”

It is clear that it can’t take place while Jones is with the UFC. Would it be too bold to say it could happen after he retires from the UFC? After all, several UFC fighters like Tyson Woodley, Nate Diaz, and Anderson Silva have dabbled with boxing after their UFC careers. Then, Mike Perry went to BKFC. So perhaps fight fans will have to wait to see what takes place further.

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.