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Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou is looking likely to end up as one of the best fights that never happened. The former UFC heavyweight champion could not come to terms with the UFC and exited the promotion earlier this year. Shortly after, Jones made his heavyweight debut and secured the vacant heavyweight title.

Ever since then, the pair have occasionally been going back and forth chirping at each other. However, Ngannou is currently signed to the PFL and is slated to make his debut next year. ‘The Predator’ is looking to land a boxing fight against top heavyweight boxers before that.

One target for Ngannou is Tyson Fury, who is now beefing with Jon Jones and is open to fighting him. The mutual interest in Fury might heat things up between Ngannou and Jones again.

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Meanwhile, both stars were going to be at PFL 5 and fans were expecting some tension. However, Jones had a surprising attitude towards Ngannou despite their beef.

Jon Jones discusses Francis Ngannou at PFL 5

Jon Jones was at PFL 5 to corner his teammate Maurice Greene, who was fighting for the heavyweight strap against Ante Delija. Being PFL’s biggest signing at the moment, Francis Ngannou was also expected to be in the building for the heavyweight main event.

In a backstage interview, Jones talked about the possibility of running into the former UFC champion. He said, “I’ve met Francis before. He’s a sweetheart of a guy, you know? Outside of the fight game, he’s a pretty respectful guy, you know? I can be really respectful as well. I’m looking forward to seeing the brother and giving him some knuckles as well.”

In another surprising take, the UFC champion said, “If we’re not fighting, there’s no reason to have a bunch of beef, especially when we see each other in person. It’s cool to talk trash and keep the fans excited and stuff like that. But if there’s no fight contract, then we’re bros at the end of the day.”

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However, Jones wanted there to be no doubt about his views on himself. The 35-year-old stated, “I know that I’m badder than him. So I don’t have to give him any weird looks or whatever, you know? He has big muscles. He’s a very impressive-looking figure. But when it comes to this fight game, it’s my whole world and I know who I am.”

Jones showed nothing but respect to Ngannou, but did not concede an inch of competitiveness. With both stars pursuing their endeavors in different promotions, we might never see the pair face each other in the cage.

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What are your thoughts on Jones’ words? Who do you think would win if they fought each other? Let us know in the comments.