‘We want the fight’ – PFL CEO puts pressure on Dana White and UFC to make Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou
PFL CEO Peter Murray has put pressure on UFC CEO Dana White to make Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou. Murray was in attendance for the 2024 PFL World Championships at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday night. Ngannou returned to winning ways in October after two years away from MMAGetty He is signed with the PFL and Murray [left] is his new bossPFL Ngannou, 38, signed for the PFL after a contract dispute with White prompted him to leave MMA’s biggest league. ‘The Predator’ became the inaugural PFL Super Fight heavyweight champion in his highly anticipated October MMA return, after battering Brazil’s Renan Ferreira. The bout came two-and-a-half years after Ngannou beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 to retain his heavyweight title. Jones, 37, is now the UFC heavyweight champion and first claimed the belt by submitting Gane in March 2023 following a three-year hiatus. He defended the heavyweight belt for the first time against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 and stopped him with a brutal spinning back-kick to the body in the third round. When asked if a contracted UFC fighter could come across and fight a contracted PFL fighter to work together and make a super fight, Murray was clear with his response. “Yeah, I mean we’re supportive of it” he told Adam Catterall in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT MMA. “I mean the fighters want the fight. Jon Jones wants the fight, Francis wants the fight. We want the fight. “Our partners here at Saudi want the fight and so, it really comes down to whether the UFC wants to step up to it or not – period.” Six fighters, each from a different weight class, received a $1million cash prize as the 2024 season winners were crowned on Friday night. Dakota Ditcheva was one recipient of the $1 millionJose Peñuela / PFL Brendan Loughnane wasn’t as fortunate after a main event warJose Peñuela / PFL One of the million dollar winners was Dakota Ditcheva, who hails from Sale in Greater Manchester, as she defeated former UFC star Taila Santos to be crowned the women’s flyweight champion. Fellow Manchester native and one half of talkSPORT MMA’s Uncaged show Brendan Loughnane was beaten by Russia’s Timur Khizriev via unanimous decision in the main event. “He’s just an incredible human and a tremendous fighter, and what a great partner,” Murray added on Ngannou. “That fight against Renan Ferreira, it was really, in Francis’s words, more than a fight for him. “He kept things moving, after the extraordinary tragedy in his life losing his son. That was Francis’s decision to come back into the cage and he was directing his energy. “Hey, listen, I was very happy for him and we haven’t seen the last of Renan.” Jones defeated Miocic at UFC 309 to retain his heavyweight strapGetty Ngannou has been through a serious ordeal this year, laying his 15-month-old son, Kobe, to rest in May. The African powerhouse was overcome by emotion after the referee stepped in and waved off his fight against Ferreira, who was flattened on the ground and helpless. Ngannou confirmed that his next combat sports move depended on ‘how I feel and how I deal with my life right now’. Meanwhile, thousands of MMA fans have criticised Jones for avoiding a fight with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. The Manchester native has cleared out the heavyweight division in the last four years and called out Jones numerous times to unify the 265 lbs strap to no avail. Jones has remained consistent on the fact he would much rather have a ‘legacy’ defining fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
PFL CEO Peter Murray has put pressure on UFC CEO Dana White to make Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou.
Murray was in attendance for the 2024 PFL World Championships at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday night.
Ngannou, 38, signed for the PFL after a contract dispute with White prompted him to leave MMA’s biggest league.
‘The Predator’ became the inaugural PFL Super Fight heavyweight champion in his highly anticipated October MMA return, after battering Brazil’s Renan Ferreira.
The bout came two-and-a-half years after Ngannou beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 to retain his heavyweight title.
Jones, 37, is now the UFC heavyweight champion and first claimed the belt by submitting Gane in March 2023 following a three-year hiatus.
He defended the heavyweight belt for the first time against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 and stopped him with a brutal spinning back-kick to the body in the third round.
When asked if a contracted UFC fighter could come across and fight a contracted PFL fighter to work together and make a super fight, Murray was clear with his response.
“Yeah, I mean we’re supportive of it” he told Adam Catterall in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT MMA.
“I mean the fighters want the fight. Jon Jones wants the fight, Francis wants the fight. We want the fight.
“Our partners here at Saudi want the fight and so, it really comes down to whether the UFC wants to step up to it or not – period.”
Six fighters, each from a different weight class, received a $1million cash prize as the 2024 season winners were crowned on Friday night.
One of the million dollar winners was Dakota Ditcheva, who hails from Sale in Greater Manchester, as she defeated former UFC star Taila Santos to be crowned the women’s flyweight champion.
Fellow Manchester native and one half of talkSPORT MMA’s Uncaged show Brendan Loughnane was beaten by Russia’s Timur Khizriev via unanimous decision in the main event.
“He’s just an incredible human and a tremendous fighter, and what a great partner,” Murray added on Ngannou.
“That fight against Renan Ferreira, it was really, in Francis’s words, more than a fight for him.
“He kept things moving, after the extraordinary tragedy in his life losing his son. That was Francis’s decision to come back into the cage and he was directing his energy.
“Hey, listen, I was very happy for him and we haven’t seen the last of Renan.”
Ngannou has been through a serious ordeal this year, laying his 15-month-old son, Kobe, to rest in May.
The African powerhouse was overcome by emotion after the referee stepped in and waved off his fight against Ferreira, who was flattened on the ground and helpless.
Ngannou confirmed that his next combat sports move depended on ‘how I feel and how I deal with my life right now’.
Meanwhile, thousands of MMA fans have criticised Jones for avoiding a fight with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
The Manchester native has cleared out the heavyweight division in the last four years and called out Jones numerous times to unify the 265 lbs strap to no avail.
Jones has remained consistent on the fact he would much rather have a ‘legacy’ defining fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
