Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou could come face to face this weekend at PFL

Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou is a heavyweight matchup that has had fans salivating for the better part of the last three years since 'Bones' abandoned the light heavyweight division in pursuit of the 265-pound throne. Unfortunately, the Cameroonian's contentious negotiations with the UFC all but killed the potential for the bout.

However, the pair could come face to face this weekend.

PFL 5 is scheduled to feature Maurice Greene, a teammate of Jon Jones, in a headline bout against Ante Delija for the PFL heavyweight strap. While 'Bones' is set to corner his teammate, he won't be the only one who has touched UFC heavyweight gold in attendance as Francis Ngannou will also be there at the event.

The knockout artist is the PFL's newest marquee acquisition and will be in attendance for the card. Thus, the pair could be in a position for an impromptu face off come PFL 5. Jon Jones recently claimed the UFC heavyweight title – one left vacant by Ngannou's departure – against former interim champion Ciryl Gane.

In the wake of his win, Jones disparaged Ngannou, branding him a coward for supposedly leaving the UFC to avoid a matchup with him. This drew a quick response from Ngannou on Twitter. Thus, anticipation for a possible face off at PFL 5 is high.

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Who will Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou fight next?

Despite Sergei Pavlovich's rise as the UFC heavyweight division's resident power-puncher in the aftermath of Francis Ngannou's departure, Jon Jones has expressed little desire in facing the heavy-handed Russian. According to 'Bones', such a bout would be a high-risk, low-reward matchup due to Pavlovich's lack of star power.

Thus, he has expressed greater interest in facing consensus UFC heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic for what he has implied will be his retirement fight.

Meanwhile, Francis Ngannou is set to make his MMA return in 2024. 'The Predator' has spent his time trying to coax Tyson Fury into a boxing bout, to no avail.

However, feared boxing knockout machine Deontay Wilder spoke about his willingness to sign a two-fight deal involving a boxing match and an MMA fight under the PFL banner with Francis Ngannou. Wilder himself confirmed that both camps have spoken about it, but there's nothing official yet.