Henry Cejudo claims ESPN factor might lead to "one-time" collaboration between UFC and PFL
Henry Cejudo recently weighed in on whether a Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight is possible after the former heavyweight champion joined the PFL and claimed it's still a possbility.
Cejudo uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, where he spoke about a hypothetical superfight possibly materializing. He questioned whether the UFC would pursue talks with the PFL in order to book the fight because of the interest from fans and both fighters.
He said:
"Will the UFC abide? Are they willing to say, 'Hey, you know what, the fans wanna see it, the world wants to see it, why don't we do a collaboration, let's let the best man win.' We'll see." [5:36 - 5:49]
'Triple C' claimed that ESPN could be a major factor in the fight being booked due to the network deals with the UFC and PFL. He mentioned that the network's relationship with both promtions could make the negotiations easier because they have a vested interest in a cross-promotion being successful, saying:
"They're [UFC and PFL] both promoted by ESPN, which helps a lot of this negotiation, which helps. Maybe they do a one-time deal. You know, winner takes all, but we'll see." [5:50 - 5:59]
It will interesting to see whether Cejudo's claims are correct as the UFC don't seem in favor of collaborating with other MMA promtions.
Henry Cejudo compliments Francis Ngannou for his monumental PFL deal
Henry Cejudo complimented Francis Ngannou for signing a monumental deal to join the PFL.
During the affromentioned video, 'Triple C' noted that 'The Predator' secured a well-deserved lucrative payday from the PFL and will have an opportunity to explore other opportunities because of how his contract is structured. He mentioned that the former UFC heavyweight champion won, saying:
"He's [Francis Ngannou] about to not even double dip now, he's about to triple dip. He's got the crazy boxing exhibition with Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, he's got the fights with PFL, and then he maybe has a cross-over with Jon Jones in the UFC...You know who wins here? His name is Francis Ngannou." [7:15 - 7:38]
Francis Ngannou isn’t ready to close the door on a fight against Jon Jones, even after joining the PFL 😳
(via @dc_mma, @Realrclark25) https://t.co/nJatyoI5Kv