Nakisa Bidarian believes a long-discussed superfight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou remains unlikely as long as the UFC controls Jones’ contract, though he says his promotion would welcome the opportunity to work with the organization to make the matchup happen.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) attended MVP’s inaugural event Saturday night at Intuit Dome, where Ngannou (19-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) scored a first-round knockout victory over Philipe Lins. The appearance reignited speculation about a potential showdown between Jones and Ngannou, a fight that MMA fans have anticipated for years but which never materialized during Ngannou’s time in the UFC.
Ngannou departed the UFC in 2023 following a contract dispute, vacating the heavyweight title in the process. Jones later claimed the championship after moving up from light heavyweight, but the two former champions never shared the Octagon.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Bidarian acknowledged the obstacles standing in the way of a bout between the heavyweight stars.
“I don't think it's very realistic because I don't think Dana is going to allow that to happen in any way, shape, or form, because they know it will be the biggest fight that can happen at the heavyweight division in a very long time,” Bidarian said. “I wish it could happen, and I think Jon deserves that moment. I think the sport deserves that moment.”
Despite his doubts, Bidarian suggested that a co-promotional agreement could offer a path forward, noting that similar arrangements are common in boxing and outside the UFC’s MMA ecosystem.
“If you look at the boxing landscape, co-promotion happens all the time,” he said. “If you look at the MMA landscape outside of UFC, co-promotion happens all the time. If you look at the NBA, they go to Europe and play games against European teams. And they go to Asia and they play against Asian teams. They go to Australia and play against Australian teams. It happens all the time.”
Bidarian also pointed to the UFC’s blockbuster crossover event featuring Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor as evidence that cooperation between promotions and organizations can generate historic business success.
“The biggest moment the UFC has had in history was a co-promotion,” Bidarian said. “It was with Mayweather and McGregor. Biggest associated event ever that Dana has touched in terms of revenue.”
Bidarian added that MVP would have no reservations about collaborating with the UFC despite public criticism that has occasionally been exchanged between the parties.
“There’s no hurt feelings,” he said. “There’s no, ‘hey, we can’t work with them because they take shots at us.’ Exactly the opposite. Let’s do it and make it happen.”
While Jones’ immediate fighting future remains uncertain after reportedly being passed over for the UFC’s planned White House event on June 14, Bidarian said time may be running short for a matchup that many consider one of the biggest fights the sport never delivered.
“The moment that the world stops and enjoys these two men who are at the crescendo of their career is probably given their age and the wear and tear, particularly Jon,” Bidarian said. “The fans deserve it. The sport deserves it, and we’d love to do it.”
