Outside Source
There appears to be a tentative timeline in place for Jon Jones’ next fight.
Advertisement
During an appearance on “The Jim Rome Show” on Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White hinted that Jones’ return to the Octagon might be sooner than most expected.
“The plan is to fight Jon this summer,” White said. “Obviously, when, where and all that stuff is being determined. My goal this year is to make that fight [with] Aspinall.”
Shortly after Jones defended his title at UFC 309 in November, White guaranteed that he would eventually put together a championship unification bout between “Bones” and Aspinall. However, Aspinall recently claimed that while both he and the UFC are on board for the fight, Jones is the one holding up negotiations. With that being said, Jones has made it clear that it would take a lucrative offer for him to accept a fight against the British heavyweight.
White also hinted that Saturday’s UFC 313 headliner could have an effect on the heavyweight title picture down the road — if Alex Pereira defeats Magomed Ankalaev.
“If he rips through Ankalaev the way he has everybody else — the other thing about Pereira that everybody loves is, this guy wants to go up to heavyweight and fight at heavyweight, too,” White said. “I’m the one that’s actually holding him back on that.”
It’s no secret that Jones has been far more enthusiastic about a potential meeting with Pereira than he is about fighting Aspinall. Still, it seems like the UFC is intent on booking Jones vs. Aspinall first.
“He wants to [fight Jon Jones],” White said about Pereira. “Let’s see how this fight [at UFC 313] plays out, if he wins, how he wins, all that kind of stuff. I think that the fight that everybody wants to see right now is Jones and Aspinall, and then there’s no doubt that Pereira could fight the winner.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
