The former UFC heavyweight champion's most desired dance in MMA is against Jon Jones, but that would mean Ngannou would have to conduct business with archrival Dana White or have Jones negotiate out of his UFC contract.

Ngannou has fought just twice in MMA since separating from UFC following his title defense against Ciryl Gane more than four years ago.

On the boxing side, after dropping Tyson Fury during a surprisingly competitive 10-round split decision defeat in 2023 and getting blasted in two rounds by Anthony Joshua in 2024, Ngannou's most likely next opponent inside the ring could be Jake Paul.

After Ngannou (19-3, 14 KOs MMA; 0-2 boxing) easily dismantled Philipe Lins in one round as part of Saturday's show promoted by Paul's Most Valuable Promotions at Intuit Dome, Ngannou challenged Jones, who was in attendance as part of Netflix's broadcast, and Paul, who was in the cage standing next to the knockout artist.

Suddenly, Ngannou, who turns 40 in September, had to nimbly navigate his next desired options.

“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,” said Ngannou as the crowd roared in approval.

“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.”

Ngannou then moved on to who might very well be his next opponent.

“I assume he's a man now. Last time I saw him he was a boy. Maybe he has grown up,” Ngannou said of Paul.

Paul said he's willing to make a matchup a reality.

“As a fighter, we can fight. As his promoter, I'm here to help him,” said Paul. “Maybe me and Francis can box one day.”

Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) aims to revive his career following a devastating knockout loss against Joshua in December that left his jaw broken in two places and required two surgeries.

Before Joshua stepped in to serve as a late replacement opponent for Gervonta Davis, Ngannou was on the shortlist of fighters who Paul considered. But a deal couldn’t get done due to what Ngannou billed as a disrespectful offer.

"Dear Francis, just say you already got humiliated in boxing and are scared to lose," Paul said at the time. "You are light work my friend – stuck in mud."

Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder and CEO of MVP, told The Ring this week that Paul will return late this year against either Ngannou, a rematch against Tommy Fury, or versus a credible cruiserweight contender.

Outside of Paul, the only other boxing match that could make business sense for Ngannou and spark fan interest is a fight against former longtime titleholder Deontay Wilder or, in a different kind of crossover bout, against Rico Verhoeven after the Dutch kickboxer's fight against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday in Egypt.

"If not, maybe that Jon Jones fight, then some big fight. I really have nothing special," Ngannou said during his post fight press conference. "I just want to keep doing it."