Months after Jon Jones announced he’d be vacating his Light Heavyweight title in order to move up to Heavyweight in search of new conquests, Jan Blachowicz defeated Dominick Reyes to win the vacant 205-pound title (see it).
Soon thereafter, Israel Adesanya defended his Middleweight title against Paulo Costa, which prompted UFC President, Dana White, to declare that “The Last Stylebender” would next move up to Light Heavyweight to face Blachowicz for the title.
Overall, it was good news for fights, but some were a bit disappointed because the original thought process was to have Adesanya move up to face Jones. After all, they had spent the better part of a year going at each other in interviews and social media.
That said, despite the constant moving pieces, Dana White still wants to find a way to book a highly-desired bout between Jones and Adesanya in the new year.
“That’s the fight I would love to see,” White told BT Sport via MMA Fighting. “Somebody asked me yesterday if you could make one fight in 2021 – that’s the fight that I picked.”
White and Jones haven’t exactly had the best relationship, with both men going back and forth about fighter pay, which prompted “Bones” to tease an extended hiatus from the fight game. But according to the outspoken head honcho of UFC, he and Jones are now on good terms.
“Jon Jones and I had the best conversation we’ve ever had about a week ago, and he’s ready,” White said. “He’s ready to come back. His head’s in the right place, and he and I are in a really good place.”
Jones’ first fight in the 265-pound weight class has still not been made official, though popular opinion is that he will fight for the title straight away. But since Francis Ngannou is first in line to face Stipe Miocic, which is targeted for March, it’s highly possible that Jones doesn’t return until next summer.
If all the pieces fall into a place, then a potential scrap between Adesanya and Jones won’t go down until the end of 2021.
If at all.