On Saturday night, MMA fans were able to witness a great sight: Francis Ngannou back in the cage. He was able to defeat Philipe Lins inside the first round during the Rousey vs. Carano card.
After the fight, ringside reporter Ariel Helwani asked Ngannou about his future fight prospects. Two named came up.
Jon “Bones” Jones and Jake Paul.
It seemed like the Cameroonian had his preference for who he wanted to fight more, but each of the fights would have difficulties before becoming official. Jones is still technically under contract with the UFC despite retiring.
Here’s what Ngannou said to Jones and Paul, and whether a fight can even be possible.
MORE: Live updates from the Rousey vs. Carano card
What did Francis Ngannou say about Jon Jones
After his first-round knockout victory over Lins, Ngannou got the mic for his post-fight interview. During the mic session, Helwani pointed out Jones standing up from his broadcast section, and asked Ngannou for his thoughts on Jones. The Cameroonian MMA fighter went on to call Jones out.
Ngannou shared his desire to share the cage with Jones one time before the two retire from MMA. Here’s what Ngannou said:
Francis Ngannou called out Jon Jones after knocking out Philipe Lins 😳
“He should be watching what I’m doing and learn. Figure it out and come make this fight.” pic.twitter.com/IKtxshYLis
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 17, 2026
“He should be watching what I’m doing and learn,” said Ngannou. “Figure it out and come make this fight.”
While Ngannou is not a part of the UFC anymore due to a 2023 contract dispute, according to ESPN, Jones is still technically under contract with Dana White’s company. In order for Ngannou and Jones to square off, either Ngannou would have to be reinstated into the UFC, which is unlikely, or Jones would have to get out of his UFC contract.
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What did Francis Ngannou say about Jake Paul?
The Cameroonian also had some choice words for the Most Valuable Promotions co-founder. According to Ngannou, Paul was not running MVP and that he was just a “blah blah blah guy.” Here is a portion of the interview with Helwani.
Francis N’Gannou “Jake Paul is nothing but a blah blah blah guy in the company”. @jakepaul @francis_ngannou pic.twitter.com/7tapj6IYc8
— UPFRONT MMA (@upfrontmma) May 17, 2026
Two minutes into the following tweet, Ngannou called Paul a boy. He was hesitant to say that he wanted to fight the Ohio native, and the Cameroonian sounded much less excited to fight Paul over Jones.
Ariel Helwani asks Francis Ngannou about Jon Jones and about boxing Jake Paul.pic.twitter.com/gZM3FduZ3M
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 17, 2026
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Will Francis Ngannou fight Jon Jones
Ngannou has two routes in order to get a fight with “Bones” Jones. First, Ngannou can go the unlikely route of revitalizing contract talks with the UFC. This has a very low shot of working and is far from realistic.
The other route would be Jones finding a way out of his contract. On the broadcast after Ngannou shared his words directed at Jones, Bones shared that he has to “focus on getting out of” his UFC contract. While it sounded like he desired to eventually escape his contract, he revealed it wouldn’t be easy. Here is what Jones said:
A fight this big on Netflix… sounds good to me.
———
LIVE NOW
🌎 NETFLIX#RouseyCarano #DiazPerry #NgannouLins pic.twitter.com/5tnZ63vPU5— MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) May 17, 2026
The UFC generally does not allow their fighters to appear in other MMA events. Therefore, Jones will need to get out of his deal with White’s organization if he really wants to fight Ngannou in a Most Valuable Promotions card.
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Will Francis Ngannou fight Jake Paul
It remains to be seen whether or not Ngannou and Paul will actually have a chance to square off. The Cameroonian did not seem as excited to square off across from Paul as he was from Jones.
Paul said that maybe he could box Ngannou, but it may be hard as the promoter as Most Valuable Promotions. The Ohioan brought up this conversation at the three-minute mark of this tweet. Ngannou is also much lager than Paul.
Ariel Helwani asks Francis Ngannou about Jon Jones and about boxing Jake Paul.pic.twitter.com/gZM3FduZ3M
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 17, 2026
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Francis Ngannou MMA record
After his knockout win on May 16, Ngannou’s MMA record sits at 19-3-0 (14-0 KO/TKO, 4-0 SUB), according to ESPN. The Cameroonian is currently on an eight-fight win streak.
Ngannou’s last loss came in July 2018 during UFC 228. He lost unanimously via decision to Derrick Lewis. Just prior to that fight, he lost the heavyweight championship fight to Stipe Miocic, also via unanimous decision.
His last fight in the UFC was a win against Ciryl Gane during the heavyweight division title fight in 2022 during UFC 270.
How old is Francis Ngannou
As of May 16, Ngannou is 39 years old. The MMA fighter was born on September 5, 1986.
“The Predator” was born in Batié, Cameroon, and he spent his early life there before traveling to Europe.
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