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“Greatest Promoter” Dana White and Francis Ngannou’s Behind-the-Scenes Talk Regarding Jon Jones Fight Revealed by Insider After 3 Years of Struggle

Published 07/13/2023, 12:02 PM EDT

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Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou set the MMA world on fire after their impromptu face-off at PFL 5. It got the fans excited to see two of the most dominant heavyweights together under one roof. Meanwhile, Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin revealed what happened when ‘The Predator’ had a chat with Dana White about the fight against the reigning UFC heavyweight champion.

Francis Ngannou recently announced that he will fight Tyson Fury in his first-ever boxing match in Saudi Arabia. His manager appeared in an interview to talk about that fight when he revealed the behind-the-scenes details about a potential fight against Jon Jones.

Francis Ngannou was rallying for the Jon Jones fight for three years

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Marquel Martin revealed to Ariel Helwani that he and Francis Ngannou were asking for a fight against Jon Jones for almost three years. The talks started back in 2019. Martin said, “We literally tried to get that fight for three years. I think it’s still a possibility.”
However, Dana White never provided any signs of announcing a fight between the two heavyweights when Ngannou was still a part of the promotion.

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Furthermore, ‘The Predator’s manager believes that this is the fight that the MMA fans want to see. Besides, he believes that Dana White should consider making this fight happen someday. Marquel Martin added, “I am hoping that Dana somehow sees this like, ‘We want to make that fight’. let’s do that fight. The world deserves and wants to see that fight [Jones vs Ngannou].”

Marquel Martin claims Jon Jones knows ‘The Predator’ is not an easy fight

Ngannou’s manager respects Dana White as one of the biggest promoters in the fight game. However, he’s maintained that it was not them who declined to fight Jon Jones. Rather, it was the UFC who kept it from happening. He said, “He’s one of the greatest promoters out there. We’re not the ones saying no to that fight.”

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Moreover, Martin claims that Jon Jones understood how different Francis Ngannou was from his previous opponents when they met at PFL 5. He was there with ‘The Predator’ and mentioned that it was a whole new environment when the two heavyweights faced off at the event. Martin added, “Jon Jones understood that right away… I am a big fan of Jon Jones, but you can tell that he was like, ‘Okay! this is a different piece that I’m touching.'”

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Both Ngannou and Jones are members of different promotions. Moreover, the deterioration of the French-Cameroonian fighter’s relationship with Dana White may prove to be a hurdle for fans to get the fight they want to see. However, anything can happen in combat sports and we wait to see if things change for the better in the not-so-distant future.

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Written by:

Himanga Mahanta

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Himanga Mahanta is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. He has a passion for combat sports and a deep understanding of the intricacies of MMA. With his expertise and extensive knowledge, Himanga provides in-depth coverage of UFC events and fighters, bringing his readers closer to the action and the athletes they admire.
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Edited by:

Anuj Jacob