"PFL is down for that" - Francis Ngannou shoots up hopes for Jon Jones match in UFC, but under certain conditions

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou left the promotion earlier in January and vacated his title after he failed to reach an agreement with the UFC.

There were reports of a potential matchup against Jon Jones circulating prior to his exit. Soon after, Jones made his heavyweight debut and challenged for the title successfully.

Meanwhile, Ngannou signed for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and also a boxing debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

In a recent interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Francis Ngannou revealed that his new promotion would be open to the idea of a cross-promotion fight against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones:

“It’s possible, it’s possible, but they have to go to the PFL. [Oh, because the PFL has a contract signed?] I did sign, I said in March it wasn’t signed, I signed in May. [Do you think the PFL would allow that?] Oh, the PFL is down for that. [Really?] Yeah, it’s down for that. The PFL is down for that.”

Check out the interview below (7:38):

'The Predator' and Joe Rogan also discussed the outcome of a potential Ngannou win against Jones and what it would mean for the title.

“[But what happens if you beat Jon Jones, you become UFC heavyweight champion again? That’s a problem.] I don’t know. Maybe he’ll be a special fight, a special belt or something. Maybe not like a UFC belt, I don’t know. But you know, I don’t worry about the title, the title is not what I worry about. I worry about that fight, that challenge and I wouldn’t care if it was a fight without the title. That fight is bigger than entire. It’s gonna be hard but you never know.” [8:06]

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Francis Ngannou explains his approach to negotiations

Francis Ngannou managed to land himself a groundbreaking deal with the PFL, including an influential role to oversee its development program.

He explained his approach to Joe Rogan citing the example of the deal brokered between him and Tyson Fury for their imminent matchup in Riyadh.

Francis Ngannou stated that he preferred to have an intermediary or his team take on the mantle of negotiation, while he remains in the background:

"It’s always good to have somebody in the middle that would take the temper of both parties 'cause a deal can fall off just because somebody’s mad and this, and his ego takes over and the deal’s off, right? But when there’s somebody in between, you always come to, okay, it’s not him and to think about it. Not frustrating, but over the time you learn, you understand how it works and it’s pretty easy.” [5:30]