Francis Ngannou rep claims Jon Jones was 'nervous' while sizing 'The Predator' up at PFL
Former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou's representative Marquel Martin has weighed in on the recent face-off between 'The Predator' and current UFC heavyweight king Jon Jones.
Ngannou and 'Bones' crossed paths last month at the PFL 5 event and then engaged in a friendly face-off. The two shared words with each other and videos of their interaction went viral on social media.
Martin recently sat down for a chat with Ariel Helwani for 'The MMA Hour' and spoke about the chance encounter. Martin revealed that after the face-off, he and Ngannou both felt that Jones was a little nervous.
The representative claimed that while sizing up the Cameroonian, Jones might have realized that he would have faced a tough challenge against Ngannou inside the octagon.
“I’m telling you, Jon Jones understood that right away. That’s why they do those faceoffs, right? They size each other up and everything. Man, I’m a big fan of Jon Jones, but you can tell that he was like, ‘OK, this is a different beast that I’m touching.’ And Francis and I talked afterwards, we both think [Jones] was a little bit nervous... Not like a scared thing or whatever. But it was, you had to be there to really understand — there was respect, mutual respect, but as competitors, it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe this wouldn’t be an easy fight like a Ciryl Gane,’ from Jon Jones. That’s what I got. If I’m trying to read [Jones’] mind, he knew good and well this would not be that kind of fight.”
Check out Francis Ngannou's representative Marquel Martin's comments from the 27:54 mark below:
What is next for Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones?
After parting ways with the UFC, Francis Ngannou is now ready to step into the world of professional boxing. 'The Predator' will go toe-to-toe against boxing superstar Tyson Fury in a professional boxing match, which will be held on October 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The fight will be a sanctioned bout and will follow the 10-point scoring system.
Jon Jones, on the other hand, is set to defend his heavyweight throne against former champion Stipe Miocic. The fight will headline UFC 295 and will take place at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event will mark Miocic's first fight since his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.