Henry Cejudo recently shared his valuable insights into the Francis Ngannou situation, as the top heavyweight left the UFC for the rival PFL. While a lot of drama has erupted from that situation, Cejudo went through the PFL contract and dissected the beef between Jon Jones and Ngannou. Here are the main takeaways, with some added details of our own.
I found an interview of Francis talking about he’ll forever be the undisputed champion because no one beat him. Once I saw that, my tone changed. I thought I would tell how I really felt. He did make the right decision, he left before I came back. Smart move!
— BONY (@JonnyBones) February 25, 2023
The Fight That Will Never Happen
First, let’s lay some groundwork. Fans have been wishing for a Jones V Ngannou matchup since Jones promised to move to heavyweight. Then rumors of money concerns and a lot of tweets from Jones saw the fighter vacate the light heavyweight championship. Then he beat Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight championship at UFC 285, still undefeated.
Now we’re staring down UFC 291 on July 29th, headlined by a rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. UFC hype is still going strong, especially for the lighter divisions as bookmakers like Paddy Power take odds on who will come out of the rematch on top. Right now, that's Gaethje with 1/1 EVS while they have Poirier at 4/5, so it's looking like anybody's fight right now with no clear favorite. They also have betting tips for other upcoming events in the world of fighting and beyond. Unfortunately, they won’t include a Jones V Ngannou matchup anytime soon, as it’s now less likely than it ever has been before.
Jones “Doesn’t Need” Ngannou, Cejudo Says
Being the only Olympic gold medalist for wrestling and former simultaneous UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo is more qualified than most to weigh in. He mentions that he has had a “chance to know Jon” and that “I don’t really think Jon really cares.”
Jon seemed set on the idea months in the past but, as it would be what he called a “super fight” it would be above his pay grade. Dana White seemed to hesitate, recapped here by Bleacher Report. A money dispute looked like the main issue, stoking the ego of Jones and causing upset all around, so business got in the way as both fighters never agreed to the deal. Now Jones is champ and Ngannou is out with another fighting league, nothing can happen.
Cejudo isn’t broken up about the fight falling through, saying “Jon doesn’t need any of those guys.” However, he does mention one name that Jones “probably does want to beat.”
Who Jon Jones Should Beat
According to Cejudo, Jones should want to beat Stipe Miocic, who Cejudo calls “the greatest heavyweight of all time.” He backs it up by saying that, when you ignore hype and look at the numbers, Miocic is the better challenge, the “baddest,” he says. Cejudo brings up that Miocic has a win over Ngannou too, in a “domination” fight that raged for all five rounds at UFC 220, so we all know Miocic is up to that caliber. If Jones does fight Miocic, he has said that it’d probably be his last unless Ngannou comes back to the fold and steps up. They’re still early in talks right now, so a fight hasn’t been decided. However, it’s a much more likely bout than Jones V Ngannou and it’s sure to be a hell of a night when it does happen.
