Arguably, one of the biggest fights in the UFC heavyweight division that could not materialize is the clash between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. There were talks about their fight happening back when Ngannou was still a part of the promotion but destiny had some other plans for the champs. ‘Predator’ left the promotion at the end of 2023 leaving the dream heavyweight matchup in the trash. Regardless, despite the failure to make the match, there’s a question looming around in the MMA community: Who would have won if they both threw their hands against each other? Well, it appears that a UFC insider has a perfect answer for it.

F͏rancis N͏gannou ͏relinquished his title when he left the promotion, and͏ sho͏rtly ͏a͏fter, Jon͏ Jones vacated his light ͏h͏eavywei͏gh͏t͏ title to compe͏te for the heavywei͏gh͏t gold. After d͏efeating Cir͏yl Gane for the vacant title, Jones ͏h͏as yet ͏to defen͏d his ͏belt. Despite this, a debate about a potential Jones vs͏. Ng͏annou͏ match h͏as r͏esurfa͏ced, a͏nd͏ a UFC insider has rece͏n͏t͏ly͏ e͏xp͏l͏ained͏ wh͏y that fight͏ never materialized.

The reason why Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou never materialized

While having a conversation with the media, Dana White asserted that Jon Jones wanted to fight Francis Ngannou but ‘Predator’ was hesitant to fight him. This revelation rocked the MMA world considering that the UFC CEO earlier claimed that both of them were a bit hesitant to fight each other. Hitting at White’s statement, Ngannou took the stage to assert that he was never scared to face Jones, “So many times we sat down in a meeting and they were like: ‘Oh it can’t happen. Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight anymore,” said Ngannnou.

Well, the truth might have different versions as it is subjective but what’s the actual reality behind the hubbub? Was Jones or Ngannou scared to face each other? According to former UFC fighter and UFC insider, Chael Sonnen, Dana White and company knew that ‘Bones’ might lose against ‘Predator.’In a conversation on his YouTube handle, Sonnen confessed, “What is it that you have to gain? And then, moreover, what are the reasons that you wouldn’t let it happen? That one is the one you feel that you can answer because they’re scared, because their guy, Jon Jones, is going to get beat.”

He further added, “And you kind of got to turn your head and say, ‘Okay, is that your final answer? I’m just asking you for one, but is that the one you’re going with? The UFC won’t let it happen because they’re afraid Jon’s going to get beat?’ Is that your final answer? Okay, that’s really wonderful. If you were in their shoes and you thought your guy wasn’t going to get beat, you wouldn’t release them either. Like, you haven’t helped the situation by saying that; you’ve actually just answered the entire thing.”

According to Sonnen, Jon Jones would have had a hard time fighting against Francis Ngannou, whose explosive power was one of the best in the entire UFC history. However, can this fight ever materialize? Let’s find out.

Will the world of MMA ever witness Jones vs. Ngannou?

PFL CEO Donn Davis is of the opinion that a cross-promotional fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou could be a possibility if all of the cards are stacked right. This statement by the PFL CEO raised the excitement levels of the fans to astronomical levels. Jon Jones is on the verge of retirement, while on the other hand, Ngannou is prepping to face Renan Fereirra in his MMA comeback.

So is the biggest heavyweight clash of the decade a possibility? Well, as much as the fans might want this to happen, according to Dana White, this fight will never going to happen. When asked if Turki Alalshikh could facilitate an unprecedented co-promotion with PFL for Jones vs. Ngannou at a press conference, White declined to explicitly rule out the possibility, “Well, I actually respect Sheikh Turki, he’s a nice guy.”

He further added, “We have actually formed a relationship over the last couple of months. I respect what he has done with boxing. This is the only guy that could pull this off and make these big fights. And the fights are good, you don’t have guys coming in and avoiding fights so they can get to the next payday. What this guy has done in a short amount of time is pretty incredible, so we’re obviously talking about lots of different options with this guy. I respect him. I like him, so we will see what the future holds.”

What’s your take on Dana White’s statement? Do you agree with the UFC CEO’s words? State your thoughts in the comments below.