No Francis Ngannou, no fight: Jon Jones confirms retirement plans, says ‘no one knows’ who Sergei Pavlovich is

Jon Jones became the new UFC heavyweight champion earlier this year by submitting Ciryl Gane in his first fight since February 2020. ‘Bones’ was instantly moved to the top of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings after his win.

JON JONES GETS IT DONE IN ONE! 🐐

#UFC285 https://t.co/6v5b1ZkmXx

Since his victory over Gane, Jones has been linked to a title defense against former champion Stipe Miocic, who held the UFC heavyweight crown on two occasions between 2016 and 2021.

A concrete date for Jones vs. Miocic has yet to be confirmed, but many fans and observers have suggested that if ‘Bones’ wins, he should fight Sergei Pavlovich next.

Following his knockout win over Curtis Blaydes last month, Pavlovich fired a 'warning shot' at Jones via Twitter, and a number of people have claimed the Russian could beat the champ.

I'm sure one person is looking at this right now and is very worried.. 👊 #ufc https://t.co/TPZ6qvpGTo

Unfortunately, it looks like Jones has other ideas when it comes to his future post-Miocic.

In a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, ‘Bones’ stated that once he’s fought Miocic, he’d like to hang up his gloves – unless former heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou were to return to the octagon.

Jones had the following to say on the situation:

“Right now, my goal is to have one more big fight against Stipe Miocic, Madison Square Garden, and then kind of hang it up from there...I do believe a Francis Ngannou fight would be worth entertaining not retiring. I think a Francis fight would come with some serious revenue, and that would make it worth my while...Everyone is talking about Sergei (Pavlovich), and Sergei is a huge challenge, but nobody knows who he is.”

Watch Jones’ interview with Fox Sports Australia below

Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou – could the fight happen in the UFC?

Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou is a fight that’s been talked about for years now, dating back to 2020 when Jones still held the UFC light-heavyweight title and before Ngannou’s reign as heavyweight champion.

Unfortunately, the UFC were unable to put it together at that point, largely because Jon Jones’ financial demands were apparently more than the promotion was willing to give him.

Dana White: Jon Jones wanted Deontay Wilder money for heavyweight fight with Francis Ngannou (@DamonMartin) mmafighting.com/2020/5/29/2127… https://t.co/VabD3m1eBu

Now, though, Jones is firmly back in the UFC fold, and it’s Ngannou who is on the outside looking in.

‘The Predator’ left the promotion at the start of 2023, abandoning his heavyweight title in the process, after failing to come to terms with them on a new deal.

Since then, Ngannou has not signed with another promotion, with his negotiations with ONE Championship breaking down this week.

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong told the South China Morning Post that after a three-hour meeting, he will no longer be pursuing Francis Ngannou.

It's been over 400 days since his last fight. https://t.co/tsbch1bf5i

This does leave the door open to ‘The Predator’ returning to the UFC to face Jon Jones, but whether this will ever happen remains questionable.