There are few men on this earth who have had a sample of what both UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and heavyweight knockout artist Francis Ngannou have to offer in the cage.
Alistair Overeem is one of the said unlucky few, having fought Ngannou in the UFC’s Octagon and being a former training partner of Jones.
And as talk of a super fight between the pair has been brewing this past week, Overeem’s perspective on the fight, should it ever materialise, is unrivalled.
While UFC President Dana White poured cold water on a fight between the pair, Dutchman Overeem would “love” to see the pair square off and believes Jones would more than provide a good account of himself.
“I’ve been seeing that online, I love that idea of them two,” Overeem told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. “I just love it. I definitely think Jon can beat him.
“But to be honest, with all due respect, I do not think Jon is gonna do that fight.”
Though Overeem doesn’t think Jones is itching to fight Ngannou like his Twitter activity suggests, “Bones” has long hinted at a move up in weight class away from the UFC light heavyweight class he has ruled for almost a decade.
Overeem doesn’t think a fight with Ngannou alone would be enough to bait Jones to move up in weight, but a title shot could do the trick. Regardless, he rates Jones’ chances of success at heavyweight.
“Not much to win, a lot to lose. Because if he wins, he’s not heavyweight champion. The fight after that would be for the title, I guess,” Overeem said.
“It’s a complex situation, but I definitely think Jon can beat him. It would be mega-fight. So it’s definitely something I am very much looking forward to.
“I really enjoy these guys smack talking back and forth. It’s really amusing, and hopefully it will produce some great, great mega fights.”
Overeem himself is fresh off a come-from-behind victory in the main event of UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Florida, defeating Walt Harris by second-round TKO last Saturday.