Jon Jones’ Former Rival Gives Iconic Reaction to UFC Champ Squaring Off Against Francis Ngannou

UFC fans faced a huge disappointment when they realized the bout between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou might not take place. When Jon Jones announced his return to the UFC octagon after three long years, fans were excited to see the return of the legend. However, something that added to their excitement was the possibility of a bout between ‘The Predator’ and ‘Bones,’ as Ngannou was the then reigning heavyweight champion. Things took an unexpected turn when Ngannou’s disagreements with the UFC resulted in him leaving the promotion to become a free agent. Later, ‘Bones’ had his debut heavyweight bout against Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title.

The bout between Jones and Ngannou became a dream fight for many and had little to no chance of becoming a reality. Recently, ‘Bones’ and ‘The Predator’ gave a visual treat to the fans by coming face-to-face. The two ended up in a face-off at the events of PFL 5. Now, retired UFC legend Chael Sonnen has reacted to it.

Chael Sonnen reacts to the face-off between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou

During the events of PFL 5 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, both Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou came face-to-face. In a viral video posted by ESPN MMA on Twitter, the two mighty fighters can be seen having a friendly conversation. In the beginning, the two of them mentioned that they had respect for each other. Later, Ngannou stated that he wants to fight Jon Jones outside the UFC, to which Jones responded that ‘The Predator’ would get into trouble and lose the fight. Ngannou confidently declared that he is ready to face Jones, no matter what.

Interestingly, Chael Sonnen reacted to it. Sonnen and Jones faced each other at UFC 159 in 2013. The bout witnessed ‘The American Gangster’s loss in round 1 via TKO.

He tweeted, “Shouldn’t have let him get close..” It was quite similar to his “I can’t let you get close” iconic one-liner that he said during his brawl with Wanderlei Silva.

‘The American Gangster’s iconic dialogue

Chael Sonnen is notorious among the MMA community for his trash talk and carefree attitude. Back when Sonnen was coaching against Wanderlei Silva on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, they both got into nasty fights. Things got heated when they came up against each other as coaches.

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At one point, both fighters lost their control, and Silva ended up keeping his hands on Sonnen’s shoulder when Sonnen said, “I can’t let you get close.” The feud between the two became quite famous, and Sonnen’s dialogue became one of his trademark responses.

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