The PFL World Championships 2024 saw new champions being crowned and walking away with not just titles, but $1 million dollar prizes as well! However, amidst the roaring crowd and action-packed battles, whispers of a dream matchup that has been a point of conversation in the MMA sphere also rose up. The fight? A clash between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou! But would the UFC and Dana White be open to the idea?

During an interview with TalkSport MMA, PFL CEO Peter Murray was asked an interesting question, “Can we live in a world where a contracted fighter from someone else and a contracted fighter from the PFL can work together and make a superfight?”. Jones and Ngannou, two titans, both at the pinnacle of their careers, squaring off to settle the debate of who reigns supreme in heavyweight MMA.

Murray didn’t mince his words as he responded by stating, “Yeah, I mean we’re supportive of it. I mean the fighters want the fight, Jon Jones wants the fight, Francis wants the fight, we want the fight. Our partners here at Saudi want the fight and so it really comes down to – does the UFC want to step up to it or not? Period.”

Ngannou himself has recently indicated that he is willing to settle the debate against Jon Jones once and for all. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, ‘The Predator’ affirmed, “The reality is, we both know we both want this fight, for sure.”  As the news of a potential cross-promotion bout gained steam, fans flooded social media with their takes and UFC boss Dana White was caught in the middle of it. Here’s a look at what the online community had to say!

Dana White in the crossfire as possibility of Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou ignites the fans online  

Fans pointed out that in their opinion, the UFC and Dana White have nothing to gain from this cross-promotional endeavor. Although the PFL has quickly made a name for itself in the MMA world, its viewership numbers have been a point of concern for many analysts and fans. The recent Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira ‘Battle of the Giants’ PPV was reported to have secured just over 10,000 buys. A stark contrast to the UFC 309 bout featuring Jon Jones that secured a live gate of a reported $16,673,954, making it one of the top events ever for the promotion.

“Why would UFC want to promote ?? They are way larger than PFL and they don’t need them. But PFL does need UFC. It only benefits pfl”

But some fans brought up another interesting idea. Instead of Jones facing off against Ngannou, why not put the ‘Predator’ against the interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall? While the British champion has been vocal about wanting to unify the titles against ‘Bones’, the undisputed champion seemingly isn’t interested in the bout. In a recent response to a fan on X, Jones had stated, “Sure, call me duck for the next year, eventually Tom will lose within the next two or three fights and my legacy will go on as the greatest MMA fighter ever. End of story.”

“Ideal is they make Tom vs Francis Jon vs Chama”

But for many fans, the roadblock in the ‘super fight’ between promotions is UFC CEO Dana White. It’s not just the fans who believe that though. In an interview with Sirius XM Fight Nation’s MMA Today, Ngannou revealed, “The only guy standing in the way of that fight is Dana White, I want the Jon Jones fight. I’m down for the fight. Jones is down for the fight. But this is a new narrative.”

“Dana will never let that happen”

Some fans, however, saw a different angle. According to them, the reluctance from the UFC boss may be due to the fact that his promotion is still the premiere MMA organization in the world, and a cross-promotion with the PFL may lead to more viewers for an organization that is still technically a “rival” for Dana White. What do you think?

“Wouldn’t that technically be a step up for PFL but a step down for the UFC? There’s just no way they hand over their viewership to a rival.”

But as PFL CEO Peter Murray indicated, there is another player in the equation. While the fans claimed that Jones retiring and making a move to the PFL is the only way to get a fight against Ngannou, there’s still Turki Alalshikh in the picture. The Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority is known for his game-changing influence and played a pivotal role in securing Ngannou’s recent boxing bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. The Riyadh Season has already been a major MMA supporter, sponsoring high-profile UFC and PFL events. If anyone can make Jones vs. Ngannou a reality, it might just be Alalshikh.

“Pfl would beg UFC on their knees to make it happen lol. It would be the biggest event for pfl ever. Doesn’t do much for UFC. If Jones retires and then fights for pfl , is the only way we get this fight.”

In conclusion, the possibility of Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou is like a tantalizing dream—close enough to imagine but seemingly impossible to grasp. Fans can’t stop debating whether it’s a win-win or a mismatch of promotional priorities. For the UFC and Dana White, a cross-promotion might be a “step down,” but for the PFL, it would be nothing short of monumental. Do you think we’ll get to see Jones vs Ngannou across from one another in the cage anytime soon? Why or Why not? Let us know in the comments below!