Jon Jones says he is prepared to pursue a release from his UFC contract in order to chase a fight with Francis Ngannou, potentially under the Most Valuable Promotions banner.
Jones was working as an analyst at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., when Ngannou called him out after knocking out Philipe Lins in Round 1 on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano main card. Speaking on the broadcast, Jones made it clear that contractual hurdles stand between him and a clash with the former UFC heavyweight.
"I've got to focus on trying to get out of my UFC contract," Jones said. "That's going to be the difficult part if this fight is going to happen, doing it outside. I don't think Dana (White) is interested in doing business with Francis. So 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."
Jones, who has vacated his UFC heavyweight title, also addressed his broader future, with one person on the broadcast saying "he thinks he's retired." Jones himself added, "I don't know. I think getting out of my UFC contract is very, very possible," and reiterated his interest in boxing: "I really wanted to box. If I would have put all my energy into just my hands and combinations and punching power, I think I'd really surprise a lot of people. I would love to box. That would be a lot of fun."
