Randy Couture On Whether Saudi Arabia Can Make UFC vs PFL Happen: 'That Kinda Money…'

Randy Couture Sees TKO CEO & Alalshikh As Key To Ngannou vs. Jones Fight

During a recent interview with MMAFighting on SBN, Randy Couture shared his thoughts on the likelihood of a Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones showdown ever materializing. The former two-division champion expressed his doubt, stating that it's highly improbable the UFC would ever agree to a cross-promotion bout.

"I don't see the champ in the UFC ever getting a shot at fighting the champ from PFL or any other organization for that matter, and that's unfortunate," Couture said. "That's a shame that the fans are never going to get to see those types of matchups. That's one of the flaws and issues in our sport right now."

However, The Natural added that a bout of such magnitude could only come to fruition with the involvement of UFC's parent company, TKO Group Holdings, under the leadership of CEO Ari Emanuel, along with the influence of Alalshikh.

"At the end of the day, I think Ari [Emanuel] is the one calling the shots. He's the one who bought the company from Zuffa. It's his business. He has shareholders and people he has to answer to, and he needs to do what's best for the bottom line for that company, which includes WWE and UFC and everything that's going on there."

"Certainly, what the Saudis are holding and what they're doing with LIV Golf, and all the other things that they're doing to build culture and create opportunity for their citizens and their athletes in their country, that [fight] could very well happen because that kind of money can make a lot of things happen."