UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was on hand for Saturday’s PFL vs. Bellator Champions card at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, and rather unexpectedly appeared on-air as part of the broadcast.
Speaking to former opponent Chael Sonnen and former PFL champ Sean O’Connell, Jones tackled questions about cross-promotion, the PFL’s acquisition of Bellator MMA, and the possibility of a fight with Francis Ngannou. That’s a bout the UFC failed to put together for years, and one that remains a hot topic among fight fans no doubt worried that it could go the way of Couture vs. Fedor, and Fedor vs. Lesnar.
Asked about the PFL acquiring Bellator, Jones admitted that it was “great to see MMA get diversified” and “the power divvied up a bit.” As well as seeing the sport move into new territories like Saudi Arabia.
As for Ngannou, a fight O’Connell implied the PFL would be open to making in a cross-promotion, Jones pointed out that there are a lot of big fights out there. And he expects to win all of them.
“I feel like there’s a lot of fights that the world wants right now. The Tom Aspinall fight, still that’s really massive. Francis Ngannou and I would be really massive. And Stipe [Miocic], to the hardcore fans, it’s still a respectable opponent. I don’t know how the cards are going to fall. My prediction is that I will beat Stipe Miocic, my prediction is that I will beat Tom Aspinall and Francis Ngannou.”
“The way that it unfolds is really not my business. My job is just to do what I’ve always done since day one.”
As O’Connell noted, it’s not the PFL standing in the way of Jones vs. Ngannou, but despite an anti-trust lawsuit soon dragging them into court, the UFC is unlikely to budge on cross-promotion. Jon Jones, meanwhile, is expected to face Miocic next, after their UFC 295 showdown was called off when Jones was forced out due to injury.
