Rousey vs. Carano results: Francis Ngannou annihilates Philipe Lins with hellish KO as Jon Jones watches
· Yahoo Sports
Francis Ngannou is still that guy.
The former UFC heavyweight champion made short work of Philipe Lins in his long-awaited MMA return, knocking out his fellow UFC veteran out with a wicked left hook in the opening minutes of their bout on Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card.
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Renown as one of the most dangerous punchers in MMA history, Ngannou (19-3) hurt Lins (18-6) early and often, bloodying with hard shots before sending him home with a brutal salvo at the 4:31 mark of Round 1.
FRANCIS NGANNOU KO IN ROUND 1 #RouseyCaranopic.twitter.com/YddNVUSsNr
— Netflix (@netflix) May 17, 2026
“I’ve got to give a lot of respect to Philipe, because he was tougher than I thought,” Ngannou said post-fight.
“It’s just another one — it’s just another reminder [of who I am].”
Making matters more intriguing, Ngannou then turned his attention to an old rival: Former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones, who was watching from the broadcast desk. The two heavyweights circled each other for years in the UFC but ultimately failed to come together for one of the most coveted superfights of this era.
Ngannou called on Jones to free himself from his UFC contract and join him on Netflix with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
“Jon Jones is a great fighter, probably the best that has ever done MMA, but in terms of business, he still has some things to learn. And he should be watching what I’m doing and learn. And if he gets it now, he should be able to figure it out and come [here] and we’ll make this fight, because this fight can happen before he retires.
“I believe [he wants to fight me], but I believe he’s caged. He’s caged [with the UFC]. He doesn’t know how to get out of the cage yet.”
Jones, moments later, responded to Ngannou on the broadcast desk.
“I need to get out of my UFC contract, that’s going to be the difficult part,” Jones said. “If this fight’s going to happen, I don’t think Dana [White] 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 of my contract, that’d be great.”
Despite his inactivity in recent years, Ngannou, 39, is still widely considered one of the top heavyweights in MMA. He captured the UFC heavyweight title in 2021 with a highlight-reel knockout of Stipe Miocic, then successfully defended his belt against Ciryl Gane despite tearing multiple ligaments in his knee just weeks out from the fight. In total, Ngannou put together a sterling 12-2 record during his Octagon tenure, with every win but the Gane bout ending in vicious stoppages.
Ngannou shocked the MMA world in January 2023 by departing the UFC as its reigning heavyweight champion — an unprecedented development in the sport’s modern era. He then signed a lucrative, wide-ranging deal with PFL that included equity in the promotion and a role on PFL’s advisory board. He earned a first-round knockout of heavyweight tournament champion Renan Ferreira in late 2024 in his lone PFL appearance.
The Cameroon native also competed in professional boxing twice in recent years, losing to top heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua over a six-month span in 2023-24.
If Ngannou does continue in MMA under the MVP umbrella and Jones remains a unavailable option, “The Predator” could have a ready-made opponent waiting for him in the 6-foot-7 power puncher, Robelis Despaigne, who brutally knocked out former UFC champion Junior dos Santos in Saturday’s main-card opener.
When asked, Ngannou expressed an openness to the matchup but called Despaigne’s knockout “nothing impressive.”