Atlanta, GA — PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo addressed the possibility of a Francis Ngannou-Jake Paul double header following the 2023 PFL 5 card in Atlanta on Friday. And he also reflected on being in the middle of an impromptu face-off between Ngannou and Jon Jones.
Earlier in the evening, Ngannou told Cageside Press that the League had “something cooking” in regards to a Pay-Per-View featuring himself and Paul, two massive signings for the league.
“Yeah. We’ve got something cooking,” Sefo said with a laugh. “It’s in the works.”
It’s expected that whenever the league opts to return to PPV, they’ll bring out the big guns. What was not expected was the face-off between Jones and Ngannou this past Friday, caught on camera by Cageside Press.
“They had nothing but respect for each other. They both said what they wanted to say. They both want to fight each other,” noted Sefo. “I believe Francis also said ‘my advice to you is, don’t let the system dictate what you do.’ And so I think Jon was appreciative of that kind of feedback if you will. I could sense there was a lot of respect there, they both want that fight. Jones’ advice to him was he’s got to make sure he wrestles and does jiu-jitsu.”
“It’s really cool to be right in the middle of it and see the respect they have for each other.” And, added Sefo, he wouldn’t know who would come out on top in that fight, “because they’re both high level athletes. So it was cool to see that kind of respect between the two.”
A budding star for the PFL is Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. He picked up another amateur win on Friday, bringing his pro debut a little closer.
“There’s a possibility that he may turn pro on our first Pay-Per-View card, but again, that just depends on him, when he’s ready,” stated Sefo. “I believe that he wants to fight again in August, in the playoffs. So I’m going to sit down with him and chat with his team and see where his head’s at, and we’ll go from there.”
Sefo also confirmed on Friday that the PFL was in talks with Bellator MMA regarding a potential sale of that promotion. “All I can say about that is yes, we are in talks, and all in due time, that will be finalized. But at the moment we’re still having conversations.”
Watch the full 2023 PFL 5 post-fight press conference with Ray Sefo above.
