Jon Jones may have been in action just once in the last year or so, but he’s been active in watching the plethora of fights that have taken place in the UFC and the PFL. Ahead of Francis Ngannou‘s clash with Renan Ferreira, the McLean-based promotion shared a video on their social media handles of ‘Bones’ having a candid chat with ‘The Problem’.

Renan Ferreira is not your average heavyweight fighter because he’s as big, or maybe even bigger than his next opponent, Francis Ngannou. The 6-foot-eight-inch Brazilian once fought Jon Jones’s teammate, Maurice Green, while the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion was in his teammate’s corner. Ferreira would knock Green out and then turn to ‘Bones’ to show some respect to the 27-1 legend.

Renan Ferreira would meet up and exchange some words backstage with Jon Jones and receive some praiseful words from the supposed greatest of all time. “You got a bright future,” ‘Bones’ told the Brazilian after his knockout win. Fully believing that Ferreira is capable of winning gold, Jones added, “If he becomes champion of this organization, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.”

True to Jones’ words, Ferreira won the PFL heavyweight title and a million-dollar cash prize in November 2023. He beat Denis Goltsov at the PFL Championship Fight Night HQ in Washington DC via a second-round TKO. During his post-fight speech, the Brazilian made it clear he only had eyes for Francis Ngannou next!

As expected, the fans wasted no time in chiming in and sharing some reactions to the post from the PFL on social media. There were some mixed reactions as fans shared their predictions for the Renan Ferreira vs. Francis Ngannou fight as well.

Will Francis Ngannou put Renan Ferreira to sleep?

Given that Francis Ngannou will be competing in his first MMA fight in well over a year, fans are understandably excited about his title bout against Renan Ferreira. Even though the Brazilian has a longer frame, fans still believe that the fight is for ‘The Predator to win. “He’s got long hands, but Francis k’os him in the first round,” one fan stated.

Nevertheless, the fans still think that Ngannou should not underestimate Ferreira, who’s been knocking out his opponents in his last 4 fights. As such, another fan added, “Francis should take him very serious.” This is sensible advice given Ngannou is coming off a brutal KO loss in his last boxing outing against former champion Anthony Joshua.

On a different note, some fans have made a case for Francis Ngannou as the best MMA heavyweight ever. That’s because of the opponents he’s been fighting. An Instagram user added, “Ngl Francis is becoming one of the greatest heavyweight mma fighters ever due to him fighting top level elite fighters.” ‘The Predator’s last two victims were UFC elites Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane. He has been taking on the best in boxing as well, taking the formerly undefeated Tyson Fury to a close decision.

However, the fans didn’t downplay Renan Ferreira, who’s one of the few fighters who have stood out while fighting in a promotion other than the UFC. Hence, they appeared to love the comradery between him and Jon Jones, as they commented, “Real recognize real,” and, “Real recognition,” on Instagram.

Meanwhile, some fans analyzed what Jon Jones told Francis Ngannou’s opponent. They believed that ‘Bones’ wasn’t being serious when he said that Renan Ferreira would become champion someday. “Only reason jones thinks Renan wins is bcs Maurice Greene is one of his besties,” an Instagram user added. In a surprising claim by one fan, he believes that Ferreira could even get the better of Jones as well. “He’d beat Jon too,” that fan stated.

What do you think about the Renan Ferreira and Jon Jones encounter? Do you think the Brazilian has what it takes to beat Francis Ngannou? Drop your comments below.