Daniel Cormier believes Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou wouldn’t be as big as Conor McGregor vs. Anderson Silva.
McGregor and Silva have always had mutual respect. The “Notorious” one holds Silva in high regard and even views him as the greatest MMA fighter of all time. “The Spider” has also praised McGregor and said it would be an honor to share the Octagon with him. While both sides have expressed interest in the bout, UFC president Dana White doesn’t feel the same way.
Cormier Thinks McGregor vs. Silva Is Bigger Than Jones vs. Ngannou
Another fantasy matchup that has been thrown out in the wild is Jones vs. Ngannou. “Bones” is the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion, while Ngannou is a top contender at heavyweight. Jones and the UFC haven’t been able to come to an understanding regarding pay, so that matchup appears to be out the window for now.
Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Cormier explained why he feels McGregor vs. Silva would get more attention (h/t BJPenn.com).
“It’s a bigger fight than Ngannou vs. Jones,” Cormier concluded. “Not competitively, or it doesn’t look competitively on paper but when you put that name, Anderson Silva across from Conor McGregor, that fight is going to sell more pay-per-views than Ngannou vs. Jones.”
McGregor’s next bout is up in the air. Many expect the “Notorious” one to wait for the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje, but McGregor has said he doesn’t want to wait. Dana White has admitted that booking McGregor for a show with no crowd and missing out on the live gate isn’t exactly ideal. The problem is, no one knows when live crowds can return due to the coronavirus pandemic.
What do you think would be the bigger fight, Conor McGregor vs. Anderson Silva or Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou?
