Before the White House card dropped, there were murmurs of Francis Ngannou being an option for the Freedom 250 event. Daniel Cormier openly stated that the UFC should try to mend the fences and bring the Cameroonian over once again. The end goal? A superfight against Jon Jones. But after how things ended the last time, was there ever a real possibility of a reunion with the UFC, or a fight against Jon Jones?

Ngannou has taken a direct shot at the UFC once again. This time, he claims the promotion used Jon Jones’ name as bait to keep him tied down. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion ultimately left the promotion after an ugly fallout, and the fight never materialized. Now, the Cameroonian wants to end his career on a high note by finally securing that bout.

“Jon Jones is the fight that I really want to have before my retirement,” Ngannou told ESPN. “But other than that, it could be anybody, I don’t care as long as it’s a fight. I’m not saying it’s a fight that would define my career or something, but if I had to pick, OK, let’s do this one and go home, then it would be Jon Jones.”

“Disappoint me? No. It was never really on the table, so I don’t have to be disappointed. The only time that he seems like a possibility was when he was used as bait, something to bait me.”

At present, Francis Ngannou is scheduled to fight Philipe Lins on Netflix’s MVP MMA card on May 16. After that bout, the former UFC heavyweight champion would be a free agent, free to face anyone. A clash with Jon Jones would undoubtedly be a grand spectacle. However, the possibility of this superfight remains very slim, especially after ‘Bones’ reportedly retired with six fights still left on his UFC contract.

Beyond that, ‘Bones’ vs ‘Predator’ at heavyweight has remained one of the most cursed matchups, falling apart multiple times. The two were first rumored to fight in 2020, but Dana White revealed that Jones wanted “Deontay Wilder money” to face Ngannou, who was yet to become champion at the time.

Later, rumors intensified around a potential clash at UFC 285 in Las Vegas. But the Cameroonian powerhouse became entangled in contract disputes with the UFC and ultimately left the promotion. As a result, Jones ended up fighting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, while Ngannou moved on to PFL and boxing ventures.

Francis Ngannou has been on the cusp of securing that Jon Jones showdown multiple times. But each time, some obstacle has taken the fight out of his reach. Would he finally get that retirement fight vs ‘Bones’ now? Well, the former UFC heavyweight champion remains open to signing on the dotted line with his former promotion, but only on one condition.

Francis Ngannou leaves the door open to a UFC return to face Jon Jones

The main reason behind Ngannou’s dispute with the UFC was the contract. After his win at UFC 270 against Ciryl Gane, he pushed for a more flexible deal that would allow him to compete in boxing, while also urging the promotion to consider a shorter three-fight agreement instead of the usual six or eight-fight deals given to champions.

Moreover, ‘The Predator’ wanted the promotion to make fighter health insurance mandatory. For the UFC, meeting those demands became complicated, and the standoff ultimately led to Ngannou’s exit. Nearly four years since that fallout, neither side has shown much interest in repairing the relationship. However, Ngannou appears willing to make an exception if it means signing a contract to fight Jones, with one key condition: The deal has to be right this time.

“Listen, I have no problem with contracts,” Ngannou said in the same interview. “I have a problem with the way that the contract is being used. I still sign a contract, even if it’s not fighting. I’m a businessman, so I understand the concept of contract, which is an agreement between two people that have to assure they deliver something.

“Now, if we both deliver whatever is agreed on in the contract, I see no reason for us to keep doing business. In fact, when you sign a good contract, you want to get your partner happy, to maybe re-sign. Like, OK, this has been such a good partnership, why not re-sign? Why not re-do this? We are winning together, why not continue?”

Ngannou certainly sounds open to a UFC return, provided the terms are right. However, Dana White may still be reluctant to bring him back, especially after publicly revealing personal altercation stories and calling him a “bad guy” on multiple podcasts.

That said, do you think Francis Ngannou vs Jon Jones will ever happen, and if so, could it take place inside the UFC?