UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping expressed his approval of Francis Ngannou's recent encounter with Jon Jones.
During the 2023 PFL 5 event held at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Ngannou and Jones had a face-off and engaged in a verbal exchange. Ngannou shared a more audible version of the confrontation on his Instagram page, and Bisping favored Ngannou's performance in the encounter.
“I think that’s a 10-9 to Francis there,” Bisping said on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “We all love watching Jon fight, and I know he (Anthony Smith) doesn’t so much, but you know that’s a 10-9 to Francis.”
Following failed contract negotiations with the UFC, Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, decided to part ways with the promotion. He subsequently signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), a deal that not only permits him to engage in boxing but also grants him equity and a leadership position within the organization.
With Ngannou now associated with the PFL, Michael Bisping expresses skepticism about a potential showdown between Ngannou and the current UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. Bisping believes that by the time Ngannou embarks on his boxing endeavors and enters the PFL cage, it may be too late for the highly anticipated clash between these two renowned stars to materialize.
“Never gonna happen, though. We’re never going to see that fight ever,” Bisping said.
“I don’t think so. I mean, Dana said he’ll never have him (Ngannou) back. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will never fight in the UFC, but I think with his age, with the deal that he’s got at the PFL, with the opportunity to box, who knows? Maybe he continues winning fights and retires. But even if he has two or three fights, I think he’ll retire anyway.”