Former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones is still interested in a fight against Francis Ngannou, but there's a big obstacle standing in the way.
Jones said Saturday the blockbuster heavyweight bout can likely only happen under Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions banner, which means the UFC would have to release him from his contract or at least allow Jones to take the fight.
"I gotta focus on trying to get out of my UFC contract," Jones said during the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano broadcast on Netflix. "That's going to be the difficult part.
"If this fight's gonna happen, doing it outside (the UFC) - I don't think (UFC CEO) Dana (White) is interested in doing business with Francis, so doing it with MVP would probably be the only way to make it happen. If we can get out of my contract, that'd be great."
For years, Jones-Ngannou was one of the biggest potential matchups in MMA. Jones is arguably the greatest fighter of all time, and Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, is one of the most feared knockout artists in the sport. The matchup seemed close to happening on numerous occasions, but once Ngannou left the UFC as a free agent in 2023, virtually all hope was lost.
Ngannou fought on the Rousey-Carano card, knocking out former UFC fighter Philipe Lins in the first round. The 39-year-old Cameroonian sent a message to Jones in his postfight interview, saying he thinks the fight will happen before they both retire.
MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said he doesn't believe it's realistic to expect the UFC to let Jones out of his contract to fight Ngannou. Jones signed an eight-fight deal with the UFC in 2023 and has six bouts left on it.
"I don't think Dana's going to allow that to happen in any way, shape, or form, because they know it will be the biggest fight that can happen in the heavyweight division in a very long time," Bidarian said at the postfight press conference.
Bidarian added that he's willing to co-promote with the UFC to make Jones-Ngannou happen.
"I think Jon deserves that moment," Bidarian said. "I think the sport deserves that moment."
Jones announced his retirement from MMA last June, months after defending the UFC heavyweight title for the first time in a TKO win over Stipe Miocic. But weeks later, he said he wasn't retired after all, and he has been noncommittal about his future since.
"I think I am (retired)," Jones said Saturday. "I have a really good agent, the Kawa brothers, and these guys keep me busy. I'm constantly on the road, creating my own businesses and endorsing other businesses. I feel like if things weren't going so well, I would be the person to get back in the cage. But things are going so well at the professional level that I really have no reason to fight anymore."
