"Been hearing Francis could possibly be back on the table" - Jon Jones believes highly-anticipated comeback could take place in November against Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou (L) and Jon Jones (R) [Images Courtesy: @francisngannou and @jonnybones /Instagram]

Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou could clash before the end of the year if everything falls into place. The accomplished multi-time UFC light heavyweight champion has been targeting a heavyweight move for the better part of the last two-and-a-half years and will likely want to jump straight into a heavyweight title figh; be it interim or lineal.

In response to a tweet asking how much longer fans would need to wait to see him back in action, Jones said:

"I’ve been hearing whispers about November but honestly I have no clue. Been hearing that Francis could possibly be back on the table though."

See the tweet below:

I’ve been hearing whispers about November but honestly I have no clue. Been hearing that Francis could possibly be back on the table though twitter.com/legenddaddybea…

Ngannou has logged one successful UFC heavyweight title defense so far, but injury has kept him on the shelf for most of the year. He last competed in January 2022, beating Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision at UFC 270. 'The Predator' has cemented himself over the years as one of the most fearsome knockout artists in the history of the UFC.

Check out Francis Ngannou's top five UFC finishes in the video below:

Returning from his hiatus since February 2020 to compete in a title fight would be true to form for Jones. As a UFC record-holder for most title fight victories, he has had unparalleled success inside the octagon at the championship level.

Jon Jones' UFC title history

Jon Jones won a UFC title fight every year between 2011 and 2020. The only reason he broke the pattern in 2021 was because of his preparations for a move up to heavyweight.

'Bones' notched eight successful title defenses in his first UFC light heavyweight championship reign. In this stretch, Jones scored wins over Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier.

After losing his belt due to various legal issues, Jon Jones returned to the octagon to capture an interim belt. He bested Ovince St. Preux by way of unanimous decision at UFC 197 in April 2016, only to be stripped of the title once again due to a doping violation a few months later.

His second lineal reign on the 205-pound throne began when he scored a second victory over Alexander Gustafsson with a third-round TKO at UFC 232 in December 2018. He put together three title defenses during this title tenure against Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes. This reign would eventually fizzle out due to Jones' inactivity and become vacated.

Watch a montage of Jones' title defenses in the video below: