Francis Ngannou Knocks Out Philipe Lins, Calls Out Jon Jones
Live on Netflix Saturday night, Francis Ngannou made his first MMA appearance in 19 months, picking up right where he left off by knocking out Philipe Lins in the first round of their heavyweight MMA contest.
When the pair stepped into the cage, the size difference between them became extremely evident, and Ngannou used it to his advantage as he walked down Lins, delivering heavy strikes. While Lins was able to land well placed counter punches, the powerful striking prowess of Ngannou appeared to be overwhelming right from the start.
VINTAGE FRANCIS NGANNOU 😮💨
HE GETS THE FIRST ROUND KO AGAINST PHILIPE LINS 🔥#RouseyCarano is LIVE now only on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/zaqgyfbhvS
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) May 17, 2026
In the final minute of the first round, Lins opened up in an attempt to earn some respect in the cage, but Ngannou used this as his prime opportunity to finish the fight. Just as Lins threw a looping punch that landed as intended on the jaw of his opponent, Ngannou fired back a hard left hook of his own, which resulted in the first-round walk-off knockout.
Following the bout, Francis Ngannou took his opportunity on the mic to call for a fight with Jon Jones, who was working at the event as an on-air desk analyst. After the call-out, Jones commented on the live broadcast and seemed interested in the possibly of pursuing the fight, and needs to focus on getting released from his UFC contract as he feels the fight would only be able to come to fruition outside the leading MMA promotion because of Ngannou’s spotty relationship with CEO Dana White.
Jon Jones said he wants to get out of his UFC contract to fight Francis Ngannou 😳
“I don’t think Dana’s interested in doing business with Francis. If we can get out of my contract, that’d be great.”
(via @MostVpromotions) pic.twitter.com/Glq6eadrf3
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 17, 2026
Jones has expressed interest in fighting Ngannou, but acknowledged the chance of it happening is slim, with his UFC contract and his own lack of motivation both standing in the way.
“I’ve got to focus on trying to get out of my UFC contract. That’s going to be the difficult part if this fight is going to happen. I don’t think Dana is interested in doing business with Francis. Doing it with MVP would probably be the only way to make it happen. If we can get out my contract, that would be great. I think I am retired,” Jones stated