Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones has revealed he would be willing to fight heavyweight contender Stipe Miocic at UFC 196―but only if the heavyweight title is on the line.
The upcoming event was supposed to be headlined by the rematch between heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez, but the latter was forced to pull out, allowing Miocic to step in. Per MMAJunkie, Werdum has now also pulled out of the event, leaving Miocic without an opponent and UFC 196 without a headliner.
Enter Jones, who would be willing to take the fight on short notice, but not for the interim belt:
Per MMAJunkie, Jones hasn’t fought since January 2015 and was stripped of his light heavyweight title following a hit-and-run incident in April 2015. He has now been reinstated and has reclaimed the top spot in MMAJunkie/USA Today Sports‘ pound-for-pound rankings.
Most assumed a rematch with new light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier would be next for Jones, who has dominated the division and only has one loss on his resume―a disqualification against Matt Hamill back in 2009, per ESPN.com.
But a move up to the heavyweight division would be another option, and one which now may happen a lot sooner than expected.
UFC has yet to announce its plans to salvage UFC 196, although president Dana White and Co. aren’t without options. Josh Barnett has already offered to fight Miocic, despite a scheduled meeting with Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night in Newark, New Jersey:
Meanwhile, USA Today‘s Ben Fowlkes suggested another option:
Event organisers have plenty of options to choose from, but a meeting between Jones and Miocic would undoubtedly create a lot of buzz. Jones could use the positive vibes after his absence and legal issues.
Bones remains one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, a fantastic all-round athlete who has looked close to unbeatable in recent years. Even if he took the fight on short notice, fans and pundits would believe in his ability to beat Miocic, which would make for some comeback story.
It’s not likely to happen, however. Any bout involving Miocic at UFC 196 would be for an interim belt at most―there’s no way the UFC can justify dropping the tag for any bout not involving Werdum or Velasquez.
If Jones is willing to fight for the interim belt if it sets up a meeting with heavyweight champion Werdum, a deal could be possible, although the UFC would likely prefer Bones focused on a lucrative rematch with Cormier in the light heavyweight division.
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