"We were there the entire time" - Francis Ngannou's coach refuses to rule out Jon Jones mega-fight despite recent updates
The Jon Jones-Francis Ngannou saga has been going on for a long time. Although, it looks unlikely that the fight will materialize, 'the Predator's' coach Eric Nicksick believes there is a chance it may go down in the future.
Nicksick recently did an interview with MMA Junkie, where he was asked about a Jon Jones-Francis Ngannou fight. Here's what he had to say:
"People fail to remember that Jon Jones, moving up to heavyweight after he beat Dominick Reyes, and it took him all this time to finally be ready to fight at heavyweight? We were there the entire time, waiting, you know, so, for people to be critical of Francis is unfortunate, it just didn't work out in that regard. But that fight will always be there in my opinion. It can always be revisited, we can always find a way to make it happen."
Check out the interview here (6:47 for his comments on Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou):
Considering Jon Jones recently injured himself in preparation for his UFC 295 bout and subsequently, was forced to withdraw, the fight is unlikely to happen any time soon.
It looks like Jones will require approximately eight months to recover, after which he will, at some point, have to face Stipe Miocic. Many believed that UFC 295 would be Jones' retirement fight and so, he may be available to face Ngannou, but that is still a long time away.
Francis Ngannou has been waiting from '4 years' to fight Tyson Fury
Francis Ngannou took to X to express his excitement for his upcoming bout vs. Tyson Fury, scheduled to take place on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
'The Predator' wrote:
"4 days out for the fight I've been waiting for for 4 years. #FuryNgannou #riyahdseason"
While Tyson Fury is a heavy betting favorite, and rightly so given his credentials in the sport of boxing, no one can write off Ngannou. His monstrous power and athleticism, combined with his indomitable will that has seen him overcome adversity certainly gives him a fighting chance.