Jon Jones’ Agent, Richard Schaefer, recently spoke to ESPN and said he believes the UFC will be open to making the fight between Jones and Ngannou happen.
“I do hope that somehow, even though [UFC President] Dana [White] was very clear that [Ngannou is] never gonna come back, as they say, never is a long time. If it makes sense for UFC from a financial point of view, I think they’ll be open to do that fight…”
He continued, “This is now something which I can help, because I do have a nice relationship with people with Francis. If I could help to smooth the way and try to get that fight done and be sort of like, an intermediary, to get two sides on the same page, I’ll be happy to do that, because I do think it’s why people would want to see. I told [UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] and Dana that before, a year ago, I said I do believe that that fight would break pay-per-view records.”
Jones, 35, is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, having held the light heavyweight title for years before relinquishing it to move up to heavyweight. Ngannou, 35, is the current UFC heavyweight champion, having won the title with a dominant performance over Stipe Miocic last year.
A potential fight between Jones and Ngannou has been talked about for months, with both fighters expressing interest in the matchup. However, negotiations between Jones and the UFC have been contentious, with the two sides unable to agree on financial terms for the fight.
Schaefer’s comments suggest that negotiations may be moving in a positive direction. “I think Jon wants to fight Francis, and I think Francis wants to fight Jon,” Schaefer said. “So I think it’s just a matter of getting the deal done.”
If the fight were to happen, it would likely be one of the biggest in UFC history, with two of the sport’s biggest stars facing off for the heavyweight title. However, until a deal is reached, it remains to be seen if the fight will actually take place.