Jon Jones says he’s “down” to face the heavyweight GOAT.
Jon Jones has long established that he intends on making his heavyweight debut at some point this year. The question now is: who will it be against?
Following the outcome of the UFC 270 main event, the answer to that question would be the same around most circles as its been for the past 13 months: Francis Ngannou. With Ngannou retaining the undisputed heavyweight championship last month, many believe there’s no question that a Jones/Ngnanou pairing is the fight to make.
Things took a turn, however, when it was revealed that Ngannou would be needing to go under the knife to repair damage to his injured right knee. The champion is expected to be sidelined for approximately nine months following surgery, which leaves Jones without an ideal target for his long-anticipated heavyweight debut—or does it?
Jon Jones Asks Fans Who Wants To See Him vs. The HW GOAT
According to Jones himself, he is already prepared for his next fight and has just the opponent in mind.
“The greatest heavyweight of all-time versus the greatest light heavyweight, who wants to see it? I’m game”
While Jones did not mention Miocic by name, the former heavyweight king has been considered to be the consensus GOAT of the division for years now, especially among UFC pundits.
Also, as someone who has demonstrated how closely he is following current happenings in the division, Jones must be aware that Ngannou is sidelined. Some, including Jones’ former foe Daniel Cormier, have proposed an interim title fight between Jones and Miocic while Ngannou is out.
A dream fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic has been teased for years, including by Jones himself. Two years ago, Jones sent out a very similar tweet asking about fan interest for a potential fight between him and Miocic. He would later admit to just goofing around without any real intentions of making that fight happen at that point in time.
Last August, UFC President Dana White had the idea of pitting Jones and Miocic against one another, but Jones shut that down in a hurry. Later that year, his former coach Mike Winkeljohn expanded on this disinterest, stating that Jones wanted a bigger challenge and that a bout against Miocic, who had just been knocked out by Ngannou, was not exciting for “Bones.”
Jones sounds plenty excited now, though, and the fan interest in the matchup is a no-brainer. That leaves the cards in the hands of Stipe Miocic and the UFC.
Miocic has been more than welcoming of the idea of fighting Jones in the past and, as mentioned, the UFC has been open to the booking as well. Plus, Miocic is rumored to be holding out for a title shot, so if this bout were made for the interim heavyweight title, that would make the matchup even more appetizing for both fighters.
All things considered, 2022 may just be the year that fight fans finally witness the dream match between the consensus light heavyweight and heavyweight GOATs.
Are you down for a Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic showdown this year?
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