'I'm the F--king Best,' Francis Ngannou Calls Out Jon Jones, Eyes Fight After Philipe Lins KO

Francis Ngannou called out Jon Jones following his first-round knockout win over Philipe Lins at the Intuit Dome on Saturday night.

"As I said before, Jon Jones is a great fighter," Ngannou said in an interview after his victory. "Probably the best that have ever done the MMA. But I think in terms of business, he still has something to learn and he should be watching what I'm doing and learn. And if he get it now, he should be able to figure it out and come make this fight. Because this fight is gonna happen before we retire."

Ngannou also confirmed that he views himself as the best heavyweight in the world.

"Period, that's not a question to be asked," Ngannou said. "I'm the f--king best, period."

Jones was in attendance for Saturday's fight and responded to Ngannou's comments after the result.

"I've got to try to focus on getting out of my UFC contract," Jones said, via USA Today's Mike Bohn. "That's going to be the difficult part if this fight's going to happen. I don't think Dana is interested in doing business with Francis, so doing it with MVP would probably be the only way to make it happen, and if we can get out of my contract that would be great."

Jones previously requested to be released from his UFC contract after UFC CEO Dana White didn't include him as part of the promotion's upcoming White House event.

As for Ngannou, he improved to 19-3 by defeating Lins on Saturday. The former UFC heavyweight champion has now won eight consecutive fights following his loss against Derrick Lewis in July 2018.

Jones owns a 28-1 record with his last fight coming against Stipe Miocic in Nov. 2024. He announced that he was retiring from the UFC in June 2025 before attempting to land a spot on the White House card.

Ngannou and Jones have teased a potential fight on several occasions in the past, as Saturday night was no different.

Still, Ngannou remains confident that a clash between the two will take place before they both permanently retire.