Francis Ngannou delivered a first-round knockout victory over Philipe Lins at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday night before calling for a long-awaited showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Ngannou ended the contest with a crushing left hook after dominating the opening exchanges, reaffirming his status as one of the leading heavyweights in mixed martial arts despite leaving the UFC in 2023 as champion.
The Cameroonian entered the fight as the heavier man and quickly imposed himself with leg kicks and heavy punches that kept Lins under pressure throughout the round.
Lins, who returned to heavyweight after competing at light-heavyweight for three years, struggled to cope with Ngannou’s power and movement. The Brazilian’s attempt to force an exchange late in the round proved costly as Ngannou countered with a clean left hook that dropped him instantly. The referee waved off the fight without further damage.
The victory improved Ngannou’s professional MMA record to 19 wins and three defeats and followed his first-round stoppage victory over Renan Ferreria in 2024.
Speaking after the bout, Ngannou immediately turned his attention to Jones.
“Jon Jones is a great fighter, probably the best that has ever done MMA. But in terms of business, he still has something to learn, and should be watching what I am doing and learning,” said Ngannou.
“This fight needs to happen before we retire.”
Jones, who worked as part of the Netflix broadcast team for the event, admitted he would welcome the fight but pointed to contractual complications with the UFC.
“I’ve got to focus on getting out of my UFC contract – that’s going to be the difficult part,” said Jones.
“If this fight is going to happen, I don’t think Dana [White] is going to do any business with Francis [Ngannou], so doing it with MVP is the only way. If we can get out of my contract, that would be great.”
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Ngannou’s appearance came amid continued debate over the identity of the world’s top heavyweight, with Jones and Britain’s Tom Aspinall having held UFC heavyweight titles since Ngannou’s exit from the promotion.
After the fight, Ngannou insisted his latest performance was another reminder of his standing in the sport.
“If someone doesn’t remember who I am, they must have amnesia or something because I made a statement here tonight again,” said Ngannou.
(BBC)
