Turki Alarcik hints at possibility of trying to make Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones fight 👀
“In MMA, we always want to do the biggest thing…We need to send Dana White to the moon.” 😅
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— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
December 3, 2024
All hope is not lost when it comes to putting on perhaps MMA’s biggest heavyweight bout.
When Jon Jones first announced his plans to return to the heavyweight division, the most anticipated bout was against then-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. However, a long-running contract dispute with the UFC ultimately led to Ngannou leaving the promotion in January 2023. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman joined a rival promotion, the Professional Fighters League, where he was also allowed to compete in boxing.
Meanwhile, Jones won the vacant title with an easy submission victory over Cyrille Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. Rumors of a potential conflict between Jones and Ngannou persisted, but “The Predator” seemed to have burned all his bridges with Dana White while leaving the UFC.
However, another big-time player who is a friend of White’s has expressed interest in making the fight happen. Turki Alarusik, a Saudi Arabian advisor and current chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, is making big moves in the world of martial arts. Alarusik recently teamed up with White to host UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas this September. Alarusik recently hinted that he may be working towards a potential conflict between Jones and Ngannou.
“Yes, there are two options when it comes to Francis. One is MMA and the other wants to talk about boxing. [him]… My answer in mixed martial arts is that we always want to do the biggest thing,” Alarusik told Ariel Helwani in an interview on DAZN Boxing.
When Helwani asked Alarsik if he was hinting at a Ngannou-Jones fight, the Saudi minister replied with a laugh: “We need to send Dana White to the moon.”
The PFL has already expressed interest in a crossover, and if Alarusik can land White, that fight could become a reality.
After joining the PFL, Ngannou suffered consecutive boxing losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He recently made his promotional debut at Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact this October, where he knocked out 2023 heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira in the first round.
Meanwhile, Jones defended his title at UFC 309 last month by knocking out Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick. ‘Bones’ is adamant about not fighting interim champion Tom Aspinall unless he is offered a huge payday.
