Tom Aspinall doesn’t think Francis Ngannou’s next opponent, Renan Ferreira, is elite 😬
“That man [Francis] fighting my friend…and [my
friend] Destroyed him within just a minute or two…
Elites are not in PFL…hard to say [Francis] teeth… pic.twitter.com/myiQcQD218
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
October 14, 2024
Tom Aspinall thinks it’s hard to call Francis Ngannou the best heavyweight in MMA.
Ngannou left the UFC as the reigning heavyweight champion in January 2023 after contract negotiations with the Las Vegas-based promotion failed. “The Predator” was unable to reach an agreement with the UFC due to several key conditions, including allowances for competing at the same time as boxing and health insurance for the fighters.
The UFC heavyweight title has been in limbo ever since former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones won the vacant heavyweight title against Cyrille Gane in March 2023. Jones was scheduled to defend his title against heavyweight legend Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023, but was forced to do so. Dropped out due to injury to pectoralis major muscle. Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich were suddenly named for an interim title fight on the same card, with the Brit knocking out the Russian in the first round.
Since then, Aspinall has rallied to unify the titles with Jones, who remains adamant about fighting Miocic upon his return. Jones and Miocic will clash at UFC 309 on November 16th at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Meanwhile, Ngannou is set to make his Professional Fighters League debut on Saturday when he faces 2023 heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira at “Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact” at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. is. The Cameroon-born Frenchman recently declared himself the best heavyweight in the world, regardless of promotion. But Aspinall disagrees, considering the level of competition Ngannou is competing against. According to Aspinall, Ngannou will not face any of the PFL’s elite opponents, including Ferreira. “The Honey Badger” highlights teammate Ante Delja’s win over Ferreira at PFL 8 in 2022. Aspinall doesn’t consider Ferreira to be elite considering how easily his Croatian teammate finished him off in the first round. Aspinall respects Ngannou’s story, but the interim UFC champion simply doesn’t think he’s the best at the moment.
“I’m really grateful [Ngannou’s] story. But it’s difficult to argue now,” Aspinall told Ariel Helwani. “For example, the guys he’s fighting are not elite. And the guys he’s going to fight in the future aren’t elite. It’s that simple. They’re not the best guys in the world. My opponent fought my friend and training partner Ante Delja last year, and Ante destroyed him within a minute or two, took him down, pounded him with ground and pound, within the first minute. Stopped him. And now this guy is fighting Francis Ngannou.
“That guy’s not elite. Yeah, he’s big. Yeah, he’s powerful. Yeah, he might knock you out. But he’s not an elite heavyweight. I mean, I don’t like him. I don’t mean to disrespect him, but one thing… there are no elite fighters in the PFL. There are elite fighters in the UFC. So… I love Francis and his story and what he accomplished in this sport. I have a lot of respect for him. But it’s hard to say he’s the best heavyweight in the world when he’s not fighting elite fighters right now.”
