"In your dreams" - Francis Ngannou insults Jon Jones following moment of apparent respect
There is still no love lost between former rivals Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. With both being heavyweights in Saudi Arabia for the PFL vs. Bellator: Champs event, Jones was brought onto the pay-per-view broadcast with Sean O'Connell and Chael Sonnen to discuss his thoughts on Ngannou's upcoming boxing fight with Anthony Joshua.
Surprisingly respectful, Jones predicted a win for the former boxing world champion, but admitted that he was 'rooting' for Ngannou. Jones said:
"I'm rooting for Francis to win only because of his story and how far he's come in life [and] him being a fellow mixed martial artist. I mean, how could you not root for Francis? Francis is a wonderful stand-up person, so I'm rooting for Francis but Anthony Joshua has been doing this since he was a young boy."
As the broadcast panned to Ngannou for his reaction, the former UFC heavyweight champion laughed at Jones' comments. With the cameras picking up his reply, Ngannou said:
"Don't lose all your money! Don't get broke!"
However, fans appeared more interested in a later quote from Ngannou in reaction to Jones saying he would beat the former in a hypothetical matchup.
As the broadcast appeared to be closing, the directors once again went to 'The Predator,' who appeared to be critical of Jones. Fans speculated that the Cameroonian called Jones 'fat.'
Ngannou appeared to say:
"In your dreams. You're f****** fat."
Ngannou was not officially equipped with a microphone and the broadcast focused on the commentary team's conversation with Jones, so viewers could only speculate on the quote.
Ngannou has not confirmed his statement and has not responded to accusations of him calling Jones 'fat.'
Jon Jones attends PFL vs. Bellator: Champs in traditional Arabic thawb
As a surprising guest of PFL vs. Bellator: Champs, Jon Jones made the trip to Riyadh to attend the event. Upon his entrance to the Kingdom Arena, Jones was seen in a traditional Arabic thawb.
With Jones brought onto the pay-per-view broadcast following the conclusion of the main event, it seemed evident that the promotion had arranged for the heavyweight's attendance.
Jones is no stranger to PFL events despite never competing in the promotion. As a teammate of Maurice Greene and Yorgan De Castro, he has been in the corner during fights at the smart cage in the past.