Jones Doesn’t Rule Out Ngannou Fight – ‘I Think Dana Gets Things Done’

Jon Jones has left the door open for a Francis Ngannou fight as doubts persist over whether he will face Tom Aspinall. 

Jones is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, who stopped Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in his last fight. He has been facing pressure to fight Tom Aspinall, who is the longest interim champion in UFC history. Jones has given conflicting comments over the fight, despite Dana White feeling optimistic it will happen. Jones recently came out to say that he is not retired, but he cannot see himself fighting in the UFC at the moment. That has increased suggestions he may retire. However, the prospect of a Ngannou fight may be enough to tempt him. That would depend on Ngannou making a historic return to the UFC. 

“I think Dana gets things done. I think business speaks before emotions. “If Francis presents himself in a humble way, I think that he could very easily be back in the UFC. Dana White is one of the best sports minds in recent history for a reason. Money talks. Francis brings eyes, and I’m sure Dana will be interested. Time changes things, and time heals all. There was moments in my career where I thought Dana absolutely hated me. Now I feel he’s a big advocator for me,” Jones said 

Jones Vs. Ngannou

Ngannou’s trainer, Dewey Cooper, has confirmed that “The Predator” is open to a fight with Jones, despite his previous departure from the UFC in 2023. Ngannou left the UFC as the reigning heavyweight champion after beating Ciryl Gane. He had been pursuing a fight with Jones, but contract negotiations broke down, leading to a feud with Dana White, who had stated he would never work with Ngannou again.

Following his UFC exit, Ngannou signed a multi-fight deal with the PFL, which allowed him to also pursue boxing. He made his PFL debut, defeating Renan Ferreira to become the PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Champion. In boxing, Ngannou faced Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, losing both fights. Cooper’s recent comments about Ngannou being open to a UFC return to face Jones highlight the lack of readily available “big” fights for Ngannou within the PFL.

“Francis Ngannou versus Jon Jones, that’s the MMA fight that the world wants to see. That’s the Mayweather versus Pacquiao fight that the world wants to see in mixed martial arts. I truly feel if you asked me if he’s willing to go to the table with a co-promotion, absolutely he would, because he wants that fight with Jon Jones as bad as anyone wants it. I’m sure he’s willing to negotiate some kind of partnership to do it. And if the business truly made sense, I think even if Dana would too – if it really made good business. I don’t think Dana would be pig-headed to say no, but it has to be done a certain way, or there’s no way it could happen,” Ngannou said