Francis Ngannou answers if Jon Jones' potential fight against Stipe Miocic would last longer than the Ciryl Gane bout
Francis Ngannou weighed in on the potential heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic and whether he believes it will have a similar result as UFC 285.
While speaking with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, Ngannou assessed Jones' impressive performance against Ciryl Gane, where he quickly submitted the former interim heavyweight champion and then challenged Miocic. He mentioned that he believes the former heavyweight champion will last longer and pose a tougher challenge when they meet in the octagon.
He said:
"Jon [Jones] can't do what he did to Ciryl [Gane] to Stipe [Miocic]. Stipe is a more well-rounded fighter and he's very wise. He has a lot of tools in his back and he has a lot of experience, and he can see a lot of stuff come far away...and he also has good wrestling, so it's gonna be fun one." [6:58 - 7:32]
'The Predator' also gave an early prediction as to who he believes will win the fight. He mentioned that even though it could change from now until they're inside the octagon, he would give Miocic a slight edge over 'Bones', saying:
"Maybe I'll give [it] to Stipe...I don't know. I might be wrong, I might change my mind in a couple weeks, but I think like, maybe I'll give Stipe a slight favorite - very slight - but I don't know." [7:51 - 8:09]
It will be interesting to see whether Ngannou's prediction of Miocic regaining the heavyweight championship materializes or if Jones can earn his first successful heavyweight title defense.
Check out the full interview:
Bellator president Scott Coker interested in signing Francis Ngannou
Scott Coker says discussions remain open with top free agent Francis Ngannou – including on the boxing side, as well – but was non-committal in terms of resolution.
"I would say it's 50-50 at this point." https://t.co/rmVtQLtRQe
Francis Ngannou remains a highly sought after free agent since leaving the UFC as the heavyweight champion. He declined their offer to re-sign with the promotion, resulting in him being stipped of his title and the promotion moving on with the division.
Bellator president Scott Coker has remained interested in adding 'The Predator' to his talented roster and recently provided an update when speaking with the media following the Bellator 292 weigh-ins. Coker mentioned that although he's optimistic, he believes the chances of the former heavyweight champion signing a deal with Showtime Boxing are greater than joining Bellator.
He said:
"But to me, it's like it has to be equitable for everybody, and that's how I feel. We have a pretty robust purse amount every year and we can spread that around and we can take a lot of that purse and pay our guys and sign other fighters and keep building divisions. So to me, I would say it's 50-50 at this point."
It remains to be seen whether Coker will continue to pursue him or if Ngannou will price himself out as it pertains to Bellator.