Exclusive: Francis Ngannou issues ‘crazy’ Jake Paul MMA fight challenge

Just hours left for the much-awaited Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Netflix fight in May. 16, 2026, fans are also set to witness a card filled with several high-octane matches. MMA and UFC legend Francis Ngannou is set to fight Philipe Lins at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

However, ahead of his fight, Ngannou appeared for an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, where he opened up about his match. In addition to speaking about his fight, Ngannou was also asked about his hypothetical and potential fight against his promoter, Jake Paul.

While previously addressing the chances of facing him in a boxing match, Ngannou laughed off the chances of facing him in an MMA fight. “This guy [Jake Paul] is crazy, but he’s not [sui**dal.] So come fight me in MMA? [Laughs]”

Jake Paul is not fond of facing heavyweights, as the result was much evident during his match against Anthony Joshua. Although doubtful about his boxing future, Paul still wants to face one last heavyweight, that is, Francis Ngannou. Although the same cannot be said for Ngannou’s choice of facing Paul in MMA.

Francis Ngannou shares insight into what moment defined him as a fighter

In the same interview with ClutchPoints, Francis Ngannou shared an insightful answer on what defines him as a fighter. Rising from the neighbourhoods of Cameroon, Ngannou is currently one of the most respected and popular MMA fighters. Answering the question, Ngannou shared that he believed it was not a single moment that defined his career.

“In fact, I don’t think it’s a moment. There’s a specific moment in my career that defined me as a fighter. In fact, I don’t even think there is a moment in my career that would define me as a fighter. I think what really defined me as a fighter is out of my career; it is my life experience, my life journey.

I think that’s defined me the most. That’s where I get my…that’s really what resonates for me. My definition of myself is‌ my life. The thing that I’ve been forced or shaped by life. That’s what defines me. Today, I, as a fighter, I see myself, of course, I’m a professional fighter and I see myself as a fighter, but I don’t define myself by fighting,” he said.

“I define myself as a person. That being said, it’s in the fighting business. You know, I’m in the fighting business, but I think even if I weren’t in the fighting business, I would still be the same person because of life, besides fighting. What defines me is not fighting. What defines me, and I always say this, if your job is what defines you, that means you are missing a point. You are missing something somewhere. It’s great to be appreciative of your job, to be grateful for your job, to love your job, but it shouldn’t be the only thing in your life to define you,” the former UFC Heavyweight Champion finished.

Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins – May. 16, 2026 | Complete match card

The much-awaited Ronda Ronda vs. Gina Carano Netflix card promoted by Jake Paul’s MVP is set to take place in May. 16, 2026, and here are the matches listed under the event’s main card.

• Francis Ngannou vs Philipe Lins
• Salahdine Parnasse vs Kenneth Cross
• Junior Dos Santos vs Robelis Despaigne
• Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry
• Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano

The event will also have a few more preliminary matches, which are listed below:

• Phumi Nkuta vs Adriano Moraes
• Jefferson Creighton vs Jason Jackson
• Namo Fazil vs Jake Babian
• David Mgoyan vs Albert Morales
• Aline Pereira vs Jade Masson-Wong
• Chris Avila vs Brandon Jenkins

The main card will stream globally on Netflix and is included in all subscriptions. Whereas the preliminary fights will be streamed on Tudum. The main card is scheduled to start at about 9 pm Eastern time on Saturday, May. 16, 2026, while preliminaries will start at about 6 pm Eastern time on Saturday. The long-awaited card is set to witness the MMA returns of two icons, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. Two of the most popular stars of their era left MMA to pursue different careers over a decade ago. While Carano tried a career in Hollywood, Rousey became a WWE Superstar.

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