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Jon Jones Reignites Francis Ngannou Fight Talks
Jon Jones reignited talk of a dream fight with Francis Ngannou after ‘The Predator’ earned a knockout victory. Jones sat cageside and shared his immediate reaction to the former UFC heavyweight champion’s performance.
Ngannou faced Philipe Lins at the first-ever MVP MMA event on Netflix. It was a vintage performance for ‘The Predator,’ who scored a brutal 1st round knockout. The bout marked his first since 2024, when he defeated Renan Ferreira in the PFL.
After the fight, Jones made his way to the broadcast desk while Ngannou shared his thoughts on his victory. ‘The Predator’ then shifted his attention to ‘Bones,’ urging him to free himself from his UFC contract.
Jon Jones Reignites Francis Ngannou Fight Talks
Jon Jones reignited fights talks for a potential heavyweight clash with Francis Ngannou. Both fighters have been linked to a fight for years. However, the bout ultimately never materialized in the UFC.
After Ngannou’s PFL exit, there was a brief glimmer of hope but ‘The Predator’ was announced for MVP MMA. Now, the only way the fight can become a reality is if Jones gets out of his UFC contract.
Jones insinuated that the UFC has no interest in the fight. As a result, ‘Bones’ noted that he will need to figure out a solution.
“I gotta focus on trying to get out of my UFC contract. That’s gonna be the difficult part. This fight [with Ngannou is] gonna happen,” Jones told the MVP MMA panel. “I don’t think Dana [White] is interested in doing business with Francis. So doing it with MVP would the only way to make it happen.”
He added: “If we can get out of my contract, that’d be great.”
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley chimed in and said Netflix can help him.
“I’m saying have Nakisa Bidarian and have Netflix pick up the tab for the legal bill that its gonna cost to make this fight.”
Jones responded:
“How cool would that be? You heard it here first. I didn’t even think of that idea. I wonder if they would be interested in doing that.”
Jones Reacts to Ngannou’s Knockout Win
Jones also shared his reaction to Ngannou’s knockout win over Lins. He made it clear that he was not too impressed with the former UFC heavyweight champion’s performance.
Jones felt the fight was not a true representation of how whether Ngannou is still a top heavyweight in MMA. He pointed to the size discrepancy between the two heavyweights and said Lins was too cautious.
“Tonight [Ngannou] looked good. But he also fought against a guy that weighed like, 220 pounds,” Jones told the MVP MMA panel. “That guy was afraid to engage with Francis. He definitely wasn’t on the same kickboxing level as Francis.”
During his post-fight interview, Ngannou issued a challenge to ‘Bones.’
“In terms of business, [Jones] should be watching what I’m doing and learn. And if he gets it now, he should be able to figure it out come. We can make this fight. Because this fight can happen before we retire,” Ngannou said. “I believe [he wants to fight me], but he’s caged. He doesn’t know how to get out of the cage yet.”
Giancarlo Aulino Giancarlo Aulino is sports writer who covers UFC for Heavy.com. He began writing for Heavy in 2025 after providing MMA coverage for Sportskeeda. Giancarlo is an experienced journalist and interviewer, having covered soccer clubs Toronto FC and Inter Toronto FC as a full-season reporter, and also producing sports coverage for Toronto radio station VIBE 105.5FM.
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