PFL CEO Peter Murray on Francis Ngannou Against Jon Jones: ‘That’s A Fight We Would Like to See Happen’
“That’s in the hands of the UFC, but we would get behind it and support it.”
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PFL CEO Peter Murray is ready to book the biggest fight possible.
Murray wants to turn the dream of a fight pitting Jon Jones against Francis Ngannou into a reality.
“There is absolute energy between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou,” said Murray. “That’s a fight we would like to see happen, and I know for a fact those fighters would like that fight to happen, too. That’s in the hands of the UFC, but we would get behind it and support it.”
PFL CEO Peter Murray
Courtesy PFL
The probability of that fight taking place is extremely unlikely. Jones is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, and Ngannou–who never lost the UFC heavyweight belt–is now signed with the PFL.
Jones and Ngannou were both visible at the PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this past February. And that may be the key to the fight ever taking place–if the fight ever takes place, it will likely be because of Saudi Royal adviser Turki Alalshikh uniting both sides. He is a driving force in creating major fights in boxing, and he has the resources to accomplish the same in MMA.
“Jon Jones is a leader and big part of the fabric of the sport,” said Murray. “It was great to have him there and on the broadcast.”
Ngannou’s next opponent–which will be his first in PFL–is Renan Ferreira, who knocked out Ryan Bader in a ferocious manner in February. Curiously, there was no showdown following Ferreira’s victory with Ngannou, whose focus at the time was on boxing Anthony Joshua.
“For Francis and his next steps with us, he’ll fight Renan Ferreira, the winner at Champs vs. Champs,” said Murray. “Renan earned that right, and the fight will take place this fall.”
This past weekend, Murray’s PFL ended the first half of its 2024 regular season. The second half kicks off on June 13, beginning with a card that features heavyweight points leader Valentin Moldavsky against Linton Vassell–and emerging women’s flyweight contender Dakota Ditcheva against Chelsea Hackett in the co-main.
Prior to that, the Bellator Champion Series continues, with its next event taking place on May 17 in Paris.
“We made the Bellator acquisition in December, started with Bellator Champs vs. PFL Champs in February in Riyadh, and we launched the Bellator Championship Series,” said Murray. “We respect the Bellator brand and its history, and we were honored to start with a historic event ever in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [in February]. Renan Ferreira’s win in the main event was amazing. Impa Kasanganay and Johnny Eblen, that was the fight of the night.
“That was a great night, and we built off it. Looking forward, we have a year-round schedule of great fighters and great fights.”
PFL CEO Peter Murray
Courtesy PFL
As PFL continues to fortify its place in the sport, the UFC’s recent antitrust case settlement was not encouraging for other fight promotions. Murray, however, still believes that other promotions can thrive in MMA.
“There’s room to grow, more space in this sport to thrive beyond one leader,” said Murray. “And there’s a need. We launched our 2024 Global Season, and we’re on ESPN. UFC is on ESPN, too. We’re not asking anyone to watch PFL over UFC. There’s room for both. We’re here for a massively underserved fan base. And there is so much more growth ahead.
“Here in the US alone, our last three seasons on ESPN, we had 30 percent growth. And we’ll continue that growth. That’s the PFL trajectory. We’re advancing and growing the sport while we build a powerhouse global league.”
Murray intends for PFL to be a constant factor in free agency. Cedric Doumbe just signed a multi-year contract extension–he will fight at the Bellator card in Paris next month–and PFL also signed former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Paul Hughes. For now, the most impact will likely come for someone already on the roster, such as the yet-to-debut Jake Paul.
“Jake’s focused on boxing right now,” said Murray, referring to Paul’s bout against Tyson on July 20. “That’s a big event on Netflix, which we’re all excited about. But he’s also training for his MMA debut. More to come on those details.”
Murray intends for PFL to keep growing, both within the United States and around the globe. Building new stars–and adding established ones–will continue to be a point of emphasis throughout 2024 and beyond.
“We’re proud of the roster, especially with the acquisition of Bellator,” said Murray. “And we’re looking to add more.”
