Is Jon Jones the right opponent for Francis Ngannou? The entire fighting community has been speculating a matchup between the two legendary heavyweights for quite some time now. Unfortunately, right before ‘Bones’ found his way back to the UFC as a heavyweight, ‘The Predator’ decided to vacate the championship belt and exit from the MMA promotion. Needless to say, the shock and disappointment that shrouded the fighting world was enormous. But the talks of Jones versus Ngannou still grace MMA conversations. 

The world of mixed martial arts was indeed eagerly waiting for ‘The Predator’ to make a return to the fighting world. As Ngannou gets ready to make his debut at PFL, EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw had an exclusive conversation with the former UFC champion’s next opponent, Renan Ferreira. And of course, Jones was still a part of the discussion.

Whitelaw asked the Brazilian mixed martial artist if he thought that he was a better matchup for Ngannou than Jones. As soon as the translator finished, Ferreira emerged with nothing but confidence beaming out of his words. Through the translator, Ferreira said, “Of course, I think I’m more dangerous for him. And because of my hand, the power that I bring to the fight, the power that I bring to my hand.” 

‘Problema’ then went on to talk about the highly anticipated fight that never really materialized. Just like the rest of the world, even Ferreira seemed a bit disappointed when he said, “And Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones was just speculation. It would never happen.” But his confidence about him being a better fighter than Jones was what caught the world’s attention. He claimed, “And of course, I’m tougher fight than Jon Jones.”

The Cameroonian mixed martial artist hasn’t graced the MMA cage ever since he left the premises of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Instead, he proceeded to fight Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the squared ring. His knee injury prevented him from fighting inside an MMA cage. But little did he know that his boxing bouts would also result in unfortunate defeats via split decision and knockout respectively.

But is that what makes Ngannou a weaker fighter? Let’s see what his Brazilian opponent had to say when asked about his weaknesses.

Renan Ferreira reflects on Francis Ngannou’s weakness in an EssentiallySports Exclusive Interview

Soon after Ferreira revealed his thoughts about the matchup between Jones and Ngannou, Whitelaw asked, “What weakness do you see in Francis?” Needless to say, getting to know one’s opponent was the first step to winning a fight. But the Brazilian fighter had a different approach. Instead of focusing on his opponents, he stressed more on finding ways to improve his own skills.

Ferreira answered, “I don’t f–k with him, actually. I f–k with myself… I f–k with what I have to improve, what I have to get better, what I have to get it done. And I know he is a tough fight. That’s what I know. I know he’ll be hard, fighting him. And I wanna do my best.”

But the outcome of the fight is something that only time will tell. After all, defeating a former UFC champion won’t be an easy task for Ferreira. But with 13 victories and just 3 defeats in his professional MMA record, he might have a chance at rising victorious at PFL’s Battle of the Giants PPV. 

What are your thoughts on Ferreira’s claims about being better than Jon Jones? Do you have any predictions for the fight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.