MMA: Ngannou Defeats Lin In First-Round Knockout

Francis Ngannou reaffirmed his claim as the best heavyweight in the world with a first-round knockout win over Philipe Lins at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Ngannou, who says he is the lineal heavyweight MMA world champion, displayed his trademark power as a crushing left hook ended a lop-sided contest.

While MMA has no official lineal championship line, Ngannou, 39, is considered by many as the best heavyweight in the world after leaving the UFC as its champion in 2023.

After the contest, Ngannou suggested a matchup with former UFC champion Jon Jones, who was part of the broadcast team for the event on Netflix.

“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.”

Ngannou’s only fight since leaving the UFC was a first-round stoppage of Renan Ferreria in 2024 and this win over Lins was a timely reminder of his dominance.

Jones, who retired in 2025 but is still bound by his contract with the UFC, supported the idea but admitted it would be difficult to make the fight happen.

“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.”

A bout with Jones would form one of the biggest heavyweight fights in history but with Jones’ contract and Ngannou’s frosty relationship with the UFC, there are some sizable roadblocks to get through to make it happen.