Francis Ngannou has made a bold prediction that a potential UFC fight with Jon Jones at the White House next summer could be the biggest of all time.
The former UFC heavyweight champion parted ways with the promotion two years ago and appears to have a strained relationship with Dana White. Ngannou switched to rival promotion PFL, but decided to first dip his toes into the world of boxing. The Cameroonian fighter took on Tyson Fury in October 2023, but narrowly lost via split decision.
Just a few months later, the ‘Predator’ returned to the ring but was brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua. Ngannou finally made his promotional debut under the PFL banner in October 2024 and needed just under four minutes to knock Renan Ferreira out.
In what has been a relatively quiet 2025 in terms of competitive action for Ngannou, the 39-year-old is hoping to make up for lost time next year. Remarkably, he still believes there is a lot of interest in a heavyweight showdown between himself and Jones – a former two-division UFC champion.
In a recent interview with TMZ, Ngannou was asked about the potential for a fight between him and Jones or Alex Pereira at the White House. The UFC is planning a major event in Washington next June. Joe Rogan, a well-known UFC commentator, believes that a match between Jones and Pereira would be the biggest fight of all time, especially after Pereira challenged the UFC icon.
However, Ngannou disagrees with Rogan’s assessment. “You know the answer, you don’t need me for that,” he said. “Should I answer? Do you really need me to answer?”
He continued: “Biggest fight of all-time can only happen with Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. That’s all what I can say about that. No disrespect to other fights or other fighters.
“I respect all of the fights and all of the fighters, regardless if the fight is on the main card, or prelim, whatever or wherever. I think great fights happen everywhere. I became a world champion in the APEX with no crowd, so I respect fight [fights and fighters]. It’s not about the place, but if you want to say biggest of all-time, you make it biggest.”
Ngannou and Jones have had a long-standing verbal feud, but UFC President Dana White has accused Ngannou of not truly wanting to fight Jones in the Octagon. Dewey Cooper, Ngannou’s coach, is also open to the idea of his star student taking on ‘Bones’ in the cage next.
He told New Betting Sites: “I definitely see the destination closing. It’s like driving on the highway and you see the sign: next exit, rest area. I see that coming. But only Francis knows the answer. He can keep going. He could beat everyone in mixed martial arts and do serious damage in boxing as well, but it depends on the opportunities.
“We all wanted to see the Deontay Wilder vs. Ngannou fight, just to settle who the real puncher is and to have Francis face the three boxing kings of the last decade. I see the finale is closing in. Hopefully, we’ve got at least two to four more exits before we reach that destination.
“If I had one wish, it would be at the White House: Francis vs. Jon Jones, main event. Africa vs. America. The Trump dancing Jon Jones vs. ‘The Predator’ Francis Ngannou. I would love that fight to happen. I just don’t see a way it could, but if there’s one more destination and the final exit, it’s that fight, Jon and Francis. Francis stops him. I know Francis can beat him.”