Francis Ngannou is enjoying some quality time with his family as he's gearing towards making an octagon return in 2023. The UFC heavyweight champion is on the road to recovery after undergoing knee surgery following his previous title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.'The Predator' recently posted a few images from his New Year's Eve celebrations as he enjoyed some downtime with his family. Ngannou captioned the post:"Starting the best year ever!!! Happy NEW YEAR to y'all." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostTwitter lurkers and MMA fans quickly pointed out that one of Francis Ngannou's family members was wearing a PFL (Professional Fighters League) t-shirt.Check out the post below (via @MMARealPress on Twitter):MMA Real Press@MMARealPressFrancis Ngannou enjoy time with his family Look closely to where one of his family members is wearing a PFL shirt, could that be a hint?1488Francis Ngannou enjoy time with his family Look closely to where one of his family members is wearing a PFL shirt, could that be a hint? https://t.co/HzXOd2WSnaThe tweet sparked widespread speculation as one Twitter user pitted new PFL signee Jake Paul to face Francis Ngannou:"It means hes fighting jake paul hopefully"Mtn Dew Menace@picsofpartying@MMARealPress It means hes fighting jake paul hopefully11@MMARealPress It means hes fighting jake paul hopefullyAnother fan speculated that Ngannou was perhaps done with a lingering contract dispute with the UFC that may have prompted a move to the PFL:"I knew he was going to PFL. Dude needs to get paid and the PFL pays much better compared to UFC when you include sponsors and that out of cage sh*t."boi@itsaclusterfuck@MMARealPress I knew he was going to pfl. Dude needs to get paid and the pfl pays much better compared to the ufc when you include sponsors and that out of cage shit1@MMARealPress I knew he was going to pfl. Dude needs to get paid and the pfl pays much better compared to the ufc when you include sponsors and that out of cage shitYet another fan surmised under a post made on the Twitter handle @mma_handle wrote:"Thats his mother. This might be a message for us."👇🏽MMACODE@MMACODE@mma_orbit Thats his mother. This might be a message for us.4@mma_orbit 👀 Thats his mother. This might be a message for us.Check out some of the best reactions below:Nico@mookieszn1@mma_orbit Ngannou vs Jake Paul confirmed 125@mma_orbit Ngannou vs Jake Paul confirmed ✅Roddy@DoskyCs@mma_orbit Momma Ngannou signing with the PFL in 2023, Kayla has a new contender on her hands4@mma_orbit Momma Ngannou signing with the PFL in 2023, Kayla has a new contender on her handsDanger Dan@DangerDanAdams@mma_orbit PFL is the better promotion tbf, pays well and has a lot of killers🤷‍♂️3@mma_orbit PFL is the better promotion tbf, pays well and has a lot of killers🤷‍♂️G Wyld@PicksGoneWyldBoy if the PFL can pull Francis Ngannou and Jale Paul to start the year off twitter.com/mma_orbit/stat…MMA Orbit@mma_orbitA member of Francis Ngannou’s family wearing a PFL shirt.#PFL #UFC #MMA152A member of Francis Ngannou’s family wearing a PFL shirt.👀#PFL #UFC #MMA https://t.co/L6BQvlXZZ5Boy if the PFL can pull Francis Ngannou and Jale Paul to start the year off👀👀 twitter.com/mma_orbit/stat…Place your bets for the upcoming UFC Fight Night main card and earn $$$.Chael Sonnen believes Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones is the "biggest fight" that can be booked currently The UFC is reportedly working on a fight between Francis Ngannou and former two-time light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.Ngannou is presently recuperating from knee surgery, but he is back to practising leg kicks, and his return to the octagon appears imminent. 'Bones' appears to be the frontrunner to challenge 'The Predator' for the heavyweight throne as Jones prepares for his heavyweight debut. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe way Chael Sonnen sees it, Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones has the potential to be the biggest fight in the UFC today:"Jon Jones vs. Francis [Nagnnou], I think, is the biggest fight you can put on in our industry. It’s also going to be the first fight where [both fighters] have four years of inactivity between the two of them. It’s a very peculiar situation.”While Ngannou hasn't competed since his first title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, Jones was last seen inside the octagon etching out a close unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes in February 2020.Watch the full video below: