Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick has revealed that the UFC recently reached out to ask him who heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou prefers to fight next – and their appears to be synergy.
Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio this past weekend that, in the conversation with an unnamed UFC executive, he made it clear that he would like Ngannou to face Jon Jones in the first quarter of 2023.
“A UFC exec called and basically said, ‘Hey, what is your ideal timeline, and what is your ideal matchup?'” Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio. “Does it matter what my opinion is? No, but it is nice that they called and asked. I said ideally I would want March, and ideally I would want Jon Jones. The person that called agreed 1 million percent that this is what (the UFC) would like, as well. That is what Francis would like. They’re calling to figure out timeline on injury and how long I would need to get him ready.”
Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) is on the mend after having knee surgery in the first half of this year. He is yet to come to an agreement with the UFC on a new contract after a dispute. Ngannou expressed frustration about his pay and his inability to box, vowing not to return until his terms are met. It’s unknown where things stand on Ngannou’s contract situation.
In the meantime, Nicksick and Ngannou have been working together toward a return to competition.
“We’re hitting pads and doing stuff on the bags, but I mean essentially that’s what we were doing in our last four weeks of training camp for Gane anyway,” Nicksick said.
Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) had been rumored to return against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in December while Ngannou gets back to 100 percent. But Nicksick hopes Jones’ heavyweight debut – which would come after almost three years away – is against Ngannou, and he explained why.
“I don’t want Jon Jones to be able to take a fight before us,” Nicksick said. “I want him to have to figure everything out in the cage with Francis, not go fight Stipe and maybe win a decision and then go back to the drawing board and go, ‘OK, here’s the things I need to fix and get better at’ and then come out a better version.
“Where Jon Jones is so good is that he gets those reps. He understands, ‘OK, I can fix this, I could fix that.’ He’s not actually a guy who’s gonna walk around at heavyweight. He’s building himself up to fight at heavyweight. He’s adding muscle to a frame that naturally isn’t a heavyweight frame. So that muscle is gonna command a certain amount of oxygen and cardio.”
