‘Have to See’: UFC Champ Jon Jones Sets Eyes on ‘One Important Match’ in Dana White’ Rival Promotion

During his sidelining from action, UFC star, Jon Jones seems to have his eyes on another promotion — the Professional Fighters League. In particular, what promises to be a barnburning clash between Jason Jackson and Thad Jean.

“The UFC and fight fans have piled pressure on Jones, who still clings to a piece of the heavyweight crown, to vacate his title as inactivity continues to plague his reign. His refusal to face interim champion Tom Aspinall has only intensified the criticism, with the Brit publicly urging Jones to hang up his gloves for good.

This past weekend, fresh calls to strip Jones of his title swept through the MMA community. Even promotion boss Dana White admitted he was caught off guard by Jones’ apparent willingness to surrender the belt.

However, Jones appears unbothered by all this. Instead, his interest seems to have been piqued by the PFL match-up later this week.

Set to fight in Nashville, Tennessee, welterweight star Jackson takes on the unbeaten, slight underdog Jean in defense of his championship.

Engaging in a tense pre-fight face–off ahead of their pairing, Jackson goaded Jean, claiming his mother, a nurse, would be “patching” him up, while his father — a pastor— would have to “pray” for him after their fight. All of which appears to have caught the 38-year-old heavyweight.

“Geez, guys now I have to see [the fight],” Jones posted in the comments on Instagram.

But Jones isn’t only eyeing Jackson vs Jean in the PFL.

Jones plays up Francis Ngannou super fight

They never locked horns in the Octagon during their respective tenures. The fight world has once more tied Jon Jones and Batie native Francis Ngannou to a potential super fight in the near future.

According to Ngannou’s coach, the Cameroonian is keen on a return to the Octagon. And the controversial Jones has noted this with interest.

“I’m hearing Francis Ngannou is still interested, now we’re talking,” Jones posted on X.

“That’s a real super-fight. A clash of champions, not just hype. He held the UFC belt. I’ve defended mine for over a decade. Two kings from different roads. Not just one legend facing a mouth that’s hot right now, but two real legacies colliding,” Jones asserted.

Following those comments, PFL leader Donn Davis was quick to show his desire to book a fight between the duo, even going as far as to offer the UFC an interesting challenge in the process.

“PROPOSAL…WINNER TAKE ALL. MMA best heavyweight of all time. Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones,” Davis posted on his official X account. “Francis wins…PFL and Francis split 100% of the event profits. Jon wins…UFC and Jon split 100% of the event profits.”

Notably, when Ngannou was still active in the UFC as its heavyweight champion, both he and White had been quite eager for a ‘The Predator’ vs ‘Bones’ showdown.

But Jones would claim to need more time to fight Ngannou during those years and would eventually make his heavyweight debut at UFC 285 in March 2023, just two months after the Cameroonian fighter would leave the UFC, owing to troubles with contract negotiations.