There were no details given. No formal dates, venues or weight class details offered. Yet, UFC President Dana White essentially guaranteed during last night’s MetroPCS video chat with fans UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will eventually fight UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“I guarantee you Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones will absolutely happen,” he said. “It’s happening. It will happen.”
The devil, of course, is in the details. During the very same chat, White also said a Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre fight would also make sense. Up until very recently, that potential bout has been pushed significantly harder by UFC management than Silva vs. Jones.
No details on a timeline were offered about that proposed superfight between the welterweight and middleweight champion, although it’s been suggested by UFC brass a victory by St. Pierre over Carlos Condit at UFC 154 next month frees him up to fight Silva directly afterwards.
In terms of Silva facing Jones, the logistics aren’t clear as the window to make it happen appears to be tight. Jones – who also took part in the chat alongside White – suggested he could already be at heavyweight by the end of 2013. “I’ll definitely move up to heavyweight, but it’ll probably be around 2013,” said Jones. “Maybe at the end of 2013. Right now I have a nutritionist and I’m starting to take the career a lot more serious than I used to so my weight cuts are getting a lot easier. I walk around a lot thinner naturally so right now I’m about 225, a 20 pound weight cut. That’s really easy. I might look bigger than everyone else I’m fighting but I’m really not.”
Jones is currently filming season 17 of FX’s ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ alongside Chael Sonnen. The two will meet for a defense of Jones’ title in April of 2013.
As for Silva, there are no clear immediate plans for his next bout. He and his team have openly lobbied for a superfight against St. Pierre and initially firmly rejected the idea of facing Jones. He has since amended that position, saying it’s at least possible.