Jon Jones to fight for UFC heavyweight title, Francis Ngannou now free agent

Former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon in March and will do so in a fight for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship.

Announced by Dana White following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event, Jones will take on former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at March’s UFC 285 in Las Vegas.

Francis Ngannou, the reigning heavyweight champion, is now a free agent after a long dispute with the company over a new contract. White claimed they offered him a deal that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the company, but they could not come to terms. He said they would release him from his contract and waive their option to match other offers.

Ngannou last fought in January 2022 in a win over Gane to unify the titles. He then had knee surgery that kept him out of action the entire year. He has talked about boxing previously in hopes of bigger paydays. 

The 35-year-old Jones hasn’t fought since a controversial February 2020 unanimous decision win over Dominick Reyes to retain his title. Since then, he had his own disputes with the company over money, but White said Jones has signed a new eight-fight contract.

Jones had talked about moving up to heavyweight frequently and now weighs a reported 255 pounds. He has only been defeated once in a 28-fight career with the one defeat coming in an odd 2009 disqualification loss vs. Matt Hamill. 

Gane comes into the fight with an 11-1 record with the one loss to Ngannou. He last competed in September 2022 and defeated Tai Tuivasa by third round knockout.

While Jones hasn’t made news inside the cage in nearly three years, he has made plenty outside it.

Since he last fought, Jones, who has run afoul of both the law and USADA several times, has been in trouble with the law twice, once in New Mexico in March 2020 for aggravated DWI, possession of a firearm and other charges and again in September 2021 in a more visible case in Las Vegas for domestic battery with his now-ex fiance that was later dropped. That also included him being arrested and banging his head against a police car and challenging officers to a fight.

In both cases, he served no jail time.