Jake Paul calls for the UFC to approve Jon Jones’ release so he can finally make Francis Ngannou clash

Jake Paul seemingly isn’t giving up on the potential of a super fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, despite the several hurdles.

Jon Jones hasn’t stepped foot in the UFC Octagon since 2024 when he defended his heavyweight title in a clash against Stipe Miocic.

Following that, Jones announced his retirement from the sport after he was snubbed of a place on the UFC Freedom 250 event, which kicked off an ongoing feud with Dana White.

He has since asked for his official release from the UFC so that he can explore options elsewhere, with fans still continuing to call for a fight between him and Francis Ngannou.

Jake Paul asks if Jones can be given UFC release so he can make Ngannou fight

Ngannou returned to MMA earlier this year when he took on Philipe Lins at MVP MMA 1, with Ngannou knocking Lins out in the first round. Since then, fans have been wondering who ‘The Predator’ can fight next, with there not being many options for him.

Despite that, MVP MMA chief, Jake Paul, isn’t giving up on the potential of a super fight between Ngannou and Jones, and he has once again called for the UFC to release ‘Bones’ from his contract so that he can give fans what they have been calling for for several years.

“Can Jon Jones request a release like Shakur Stevenson so we can go ahead and do this Francis Ngannou vs Jon Jones fight? They already said they are never working with Francis. So let Jon fly and we can give the fans what they want. Please and thank you,” Paul said in a post on X.

Undefeated boxing world champion Shakur Stevenson announced his release from Zuffa Boxing this Monday afternoon, stating that Zuffa weren’t able to secure him the fights he wanted so he requested his release. The 29-year-old only signed for Dana White‘s boxing promotion earlier this year and he didn’t make a single appearance under Zuffa.

Although the 39-year-old was keen to return, Jones recently commented on his UFC future, stating that it is unlikely that he ever returns to combat sports, despite somewhat keeping the door open. At this point, it is unclear whether the consensus GOAT would be interested in a UFC exit to finally fight Ngannou, or whether that ship has completely sailed.

Despite having announced his retirement from MMA, Jones still has fights left on his UFC contract, meaning he cannot compete for another promotion unless the UFC officially releases him from his obligations.