Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou finally came face-to-face at the PFL 5 card in Atlanta on Friday night.
While an actual fight between them seems highly unlikely to ever happen — at least any time in the near future — the heavyweights still stared each other down while sharing a few words. At one point, Jones can be heard telling Ngannou “you don’t want no smoke” as the fighters continued smiling while talking, with PFL president Ray Sefo keeping a watchful eye over the situation.
At one point, both fighters claim to be the heavyweight king, which brought on a handshake with Jones adding “we’ll see.”
The conversation continued with Jones asking Ngannou if he’s been wrestling, adding that “it’s going to take more than a year” to get ready for his level of grappling. Ngannou noted that he pursued the Jones fight for his final two years in the UFC, however Jones was nowhere to be found. In response, Jones said, “I had to get enough size to kick your ass.”
While they continued to talk, there was no real animosity between then and nobody got physical before Jones and Ngannou eventually separated.
This may go down as one of the greatest fights that will never be, although anything could still happen in the future.
For now, Ngannou anticipates his PFL debut to happen sometime in 2024, while Jones is circling a showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic later this year.