Francis Ngannou has refused to rule out the possibility of a super fight with Jon Jones in 2025.

The Cameroonian cage fighter made his long-awaited return to MMA on Saturday night by flattening Renan Ferreira to become the inaugural PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion.

Ngannou returned to winning ways after two years away from MMACredit: Getty

Ngannou hadn’t competed in the sport since defending his UFC heavyweight crown against Ciryl Gane in January 2022.

But there were no signs of ring rust as he dumped Ferreira on his back and closed the show with some brutal ground and pound in the opening round.

Ngannou dedicated his victory to his late son Kobe, who tragically passed away in April at just 15 months old.

He reportedly scooped a cool $10million for his efforts, which would go down as his best payday in MMA.

But the money could increase further still if he lands the fight everyone wants to see with UFC heavyweight champion Jones.

Ngannou left the UFC last year shortly after his fight with Gane and signed with rival promoter PFL.

As a result, the UFC heavyweight belt was vacated before Jones subsequently picked it up with a first-round submission win over Gane in March 2023.

Jones is set to defend his strap against Stipe Miocic on November 16 at UFC 309.

Once that fight is out of the way, he is expected to square off with interim champion Tom Aspinall – although a cross-promotional clash with Ngannou also makes for an intriguing proposition.

Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority HE Turki Alalshikh is said to be keen on making the fight happen while Jones’ cryptic tweet after Ngannou’s last outing suggests he is on the same page.

Fans are clambering to see a super fight between Ngannou and Jones for the lineal titleCredit: AFP

“What an amazing job Francis did tonight, displayed a complete MMA game,” Jones wrote.

“Great kicks, great takedowns. It feels good to see him shine. Wow congratulations Champ, I see you.”

Responding to Jones’ comments, Ngannou told the Ariel Helwani Show: “Whatever it means, I think it’s class,” Ngannou said of Jones’ comments.

“He said it in a very nice way. So, I see him too, and I will be watching him on November 16.

“There’s a chance [we could fight]. I can’t tell on the level of one to 10, I can’t tell how many, but I know there’s a chance.

“I mean, basically, I know that fight also interests [Saudi Arabia chairman of the general entertainment authority] Turki [Alalshikh], and not many things have resisted him.”

UFC president Dana White has always been against the idea of working with other MMA promotions.

However, he seems more open to the idea now HE Alalshikh has entered the MMA sphere.

During a press conference in June, White was asked whether there was anything the Saudis could do to persuade him to make Jones vs Ngannou.

To which he replied: “Well, I actually respect Sheikh Turki, he’s a nice guy.

“We have actually formed a relationship over the last couple of months.

HE Alalshikh is very keen to make Ngannou vs JonesCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

“I respect what he has done with boxing. This is the only guy that could pull this off and make these big fights.

“And the fights are good, you don’t have guys coming in and avoiding fights so they can get to the next payday.

“What this guy has done in a short amount of time is pretty incredible, so we’re obviously talking about lots of different options with this guy.

“I respect him. I like him, so we will see what the future holds.”