Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou says that he is still interested in a superfight against the legend Jon Jones.
Ngannou returns to the cage in May when he takes on Philipe Lins on the first Most Valuable Promotions MMA card, which airs on Netflix. For Ngannou, this will be his first MMA fight since October 2024, when he knocked out Renan Ferreira in PFL. Since leaving the UFC in 2023, Ngannou has only fought one time in MMA and twice in boxing, losing to Tyson Fury by split decision and to Anthony Joshua by KO. Ngannou was expected to be far more active for the PFL, but for whatever reason, he only fought one time for the promotion before they recently came to a mutual release, and he joined MVP MMA for what may be a one-fight deal.
Although Ngannou is no longer in the UFC, if he were, he would easily be one of the top-five heavyweights on the roster, and likely competing for the belt. However, Ngannou and UFC president Dana White do not see eye-to-eye, which is one of the reasons why he was mutually released after not coming to terms on a new contract in 2023. While Ngannou has made some big money in boxing and from the PFL since he left the UFC, he has not been active, and he has not been fighting the best heavyweights in the world, which is a disappointment for the fans.
Francis Ngannou Wants Jon Jones Superfight
One fight that UFC fans always wanted was to see Ngannou against Jones. These are two of the best heavyweights in the world, but for whatever reason, the UFC was never able to get this fight booked inside the Octagon. Now, Ngannou is out of the UFC, while Jones is a retired fighter. Despite that being the case, Ngannou still hopes that he can one day fight against Jones.
Speaking to ESPN MMA, Ngannou admitted that he still hopes to battle Jones in the cage before he retires. Ngannou will be 40 this year, so he likely doesn’t have too many years left in the sport, although heavyweight fighters do tend to last longer than fighters in smaller weight classes.
“Jon Jones is the fight that I really want to have before my retirement. But other than that, it could be anybody, I don’t care, as long as it’s a fight,” Ngannou said.
Ngannou Left the UFC as the Heavyweight Champion
When Ngannou left the UFC in 2023, he became the first reigning champion to leave the promotion since BJ Penn did in 2024. The UFC does not make it a habit of letting their champions go, and to that end, they employ champion clauses in their deals, where the UFC gets to keep their champions for as long as they hold their belt. But Ngannou and White did not like each other, which led to them coming to terms on a mutual release.
The odds of Ngannou returning to the UFC are slim due to his feud with White. But at the same time, the UFC is in the business of booking the biggest fights possible, and there is no doubt a superfight between Ngannou and Jones would be a massive fight, regardless of their age or recent inactivity inside the cage. So, perhaps cooler heads could prevail, and this fight could happen, although it does seem unlikely based on history.
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