Daniel Cormier thinks Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou needs to happen.
Former heavyweight champion Ngannou parted ways with the UFC after he failed to come to terms on a new deal. He has yet to find a new home.
In his absence, former light heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returned from a long layoff to move to heavyweight and quickly submitted Ciryl Gane to capture the vacant belt at UFC 285. Jones is on a collision course with Stipe Miocic later this year, but Cormier says it’s the Ngannou fight everyone is yearning for.
“We want to see Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I know I do. I’m all in on that fight because I think that fight would blow the roof off of on any arena that they put these two into. I believe that’s the one that will get Jones excited. It’ll challenge him physically, but also mentally for his preparation to be ready and more ready than ever because he understands the challenges ahead of him in Francis Ngannou.”
Jones recently said he plans to retire after he faces Miocic unless Ngannou returns to the UFC. UFC president Dana White, who reportedly offered Ngannou the biggest contract in UFC heavyweight history, said “The Predator” will never return to the octagon.
With many, including Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, thinking Ngannou made a mistake leaving the UFC, Cormier thinks he may just be fine.
“I don’t know what Francis is doing, but you saw his post the other day in front of the Mercedes: ‘Just me fumbling the bag,'” Cormier said. “Maybe Francis isn’t hurting as much as we think. Maybe because Francis isn’t just out there boasting and pushing out ‘I’m doing this, this, this, and this,’ maybe the dude’s not hurting. Maybe Francis (has) got this sh*t all under control.”
