Jon Jones/Francis Ngannou Confrontation, Bellator 297 Fallout & More: MMA News & Notes For 6/17/23

- Jon Jones says he is bros ♏with Francis Ngannou, as long as they aren’t fighting each oth🐻er:

“I’ve met Francis before, he’s a sweetheart of a guy,” Jones told ESPN (transcript via ). “Outside of the fight game, he’s a pretty respectful guy. I can be pretty respectful as well. I’m looking forward to seeing the brother and giving him some knuckles.

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“… If we’re not fighting, there’s no reason to have a bunch of beef, especially when we see each other in person. It’s cool to talk trash and keep the fans excited and stuff like that, but if there’s no fight contract, we’re bros at the end of the day.”

- Bellator Light Heavyw🌱eight Champion Vadim Nemkov may move up to heavyweight:

“I am one of the best light heavyweights in the world,” Nemkov told reporters through an interpreter post-fight at Bellator 297 (transcript via ). “I don’t think there’s any challenge for me in the light heavyweight division, so I may try myself in heavyweight division now, because there’s no one else to fight there.”

- Brandon Moreno wants to see the UFC return to Mexico🎐 in ♏2024:

“I think the UFC has resources to come back, and even Dana White said that he’s making a mistake by not taking advantage of the moment and not going to Mexico,” Moreno told . “As a fighter, not sure how to put it, but you have some kind of power or some sort of influence on the company. You best believe that I’ve spoken about it with people from the UFC brass, and they can’t really give a clear answer.

“But I do my part: I’m winning the fights, I have the title, and I’m asking them to please go to Mexico. All that’s left to do is to wait for the UFC to get on board with the idea. I do believe they have all the tools, they have it all to go to Mexico. It would be really cool for that event to happen in the first half of next year. But like I said, as an athlete, all I can do is keep fighting and winning my fights, and keep persistent with the interest of making it happen. Also, fingers crossed and staying positive that Yair (Rodriguez) and Alexa (Grasso) are going to keep doing excellent work.”

- Scott Coker wants Patricio Pitbull to return to the featherweight divisio🦄n:

“I can tell you what I think, which is he should go up to 145,” Coker said after Bellator 297 (transcript via ). “These young kids are coming up. Speed kills and they’re super fast. To me, you’ve been so dominant at 145. Let somebody come up to your weight and test you out and see how it works for them. Again, he’s one of the fighters in this company we’ll always sit down and listen to, because he deserves that respect. He’s been around a long time. He’s been around for so much, we’re going to give him that conversation when the time comes. We’ll let him tell us what he wants to do, then say our input, then figure it out.”

- Roosevelt Roberts thought about quitting fighting before TU🔴F 31 opportunity came about:

“If I didn’t get that call, I probably wouldn’t be doing this no more, man,” Roberts told . “I probably would be training and stuff, but my mind for fighting, actually getting in there and fighting, I kind of was just over it. People would offer me $2,000 to fight. I can’t fight for that. If I don’t know my own work, nobody else is going to know my work on the outside of it too. Basically, I was kind of just done. I wasn’t making the money I was supposed to be making and so I was kind of just over it.

“And then, I felt like that was a sign to get that opportunity. I feel like that was a sign from God, like, ‘Hey, this is what you’re meant to be doing, this is what you’re supposed to be doing. You belong here, don’t give up on yourself.’ The opportunity really clicked in my head that fighting is the right thing, because for a long time, I doubted myself. I’d tell myself I wasn’t made for it and I was losing it. I just felt like God really put me in the right place at the right time with this opportunity.”

- Felipe Burns revealed on tha💎t a🍃 failed drug test is why he was pulled from UFC Vegas 75.

- Francis Ngannou ad🍬mits he is confused by the recentꦫ actions of Tyson Fury:

“I have seen a lot of comments from Tyson Fury. At this point of stage, I’m a little confused,” Ngannou said backstage at PFL 5 (transcript via ). “I don’t know if he’s, like, enjoying doing comments or enjoying fighting at this point. But anyway, as I said, I’m here and I’m ready, and my team has been working on getting in touch with him, with his team, which, so far we are not there yet. But yes, we are in the conversation.”

“It’s what I wanted. It’s always what I wanted. But apparently Tyson Fury is pretty good at bouncing here and there. I don’t know exactly [what he’s doing], but I’m here and I want that fight. So whenever he really wants it, I’m here. ... It’s been like three years that we’ve been going back and forth on social media.”

- Anthony Pettis won over✱ $100,000 by betting on his brother, Sergio Pettis, at Bellator 297, which Anthony revealed on .