Jon Jones expected to open as an underdog against Francis Ngannou, claims Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen has suggested that former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may open as an underdog in a potential fight against reigning UFC heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou.

Jones last competed in February 2020. During his time away from the octagon, ‘Bones’ has been bulking up to prepare for his heavyweight debut. Many believe that Jon Jones’ maiden heavyweight matchup will be against Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic.

In an episode of Beyond The Fight, Sonnen explained that a possible Jones-Ngannou showdown could be the biggest fight in MMA history, particularly from a business standpoint. Sonnen indicated that most of the former light heavyweight champion’s past fights haven’t done well in regards to PPV numbers because of how the public perceived his opponents.

Per 'The Bad Guy', the audience didn’t view most of Jones’ opponents as legitimate threats, which is why they were uninterested in watching his fights. Nevertheless, Chael emphasized that fans would view Ngannou as a serious threat to Jones. On that note, Sonnen stated:

“If Jones versus Ngannou got announced today, I would expect – when I go to [sports betting company] DraftKings – to look at the odds that Jones, for the first time in history, is an underdog. Am I wrong about that? ‘Cause if I’m wrong about that, then my entire premise is out.”

“If Jones is expected – and that’s how we’ll base that – that will judge it. We’ll just go look at the line. If Jones is expected to win, then everything that I just proclaimed and the reasons that I proclaimed for this to be such a massive night of business, they’ll be right out the window.”

Watch Sonnen address the topic at 2:42 in the video below:

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Stephen Thompson on a potential fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is currently involved in a contract dispute with the UFC. Furthermore, ‘The Predator’ is expected to be out of action until early 2023 due to his knee injury issues.

Considering that, it’s believed that Jon Jones could fight Stipe Miocic for the interim UFC heavyweight title this year. Alternatively, ‘Bones’ might wait to fight Ngannou in 2023.

While discussing the Ngannou-Jones dream matchup, UFC welterweight mainstay Stephen Thompson picked Ngannou to beat 'Bones'. In a video posted to his YouTube channel earlier this year, ‘Wonderboy’ said:

"I'm not saying that Jon Jones doesn't have a chance, because he does. You've seen the improvement Francis has made, not just with his striking but with his wrestling as well, and that's what Jon Jones is notorious for, right? So, I got my man Francis Ngannou winning that fight."

Watch Thompson’s assessment below: