UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman sees a superfight with pound-for-pound king Jon “Bones” Jones in his future.
During a feature on AXS TV’s Inside MMA, Weidman chatted about the possibility of fighting in Madison Square Garden and revealed that Jones would be his dream opponent should that day come.
Even better, Weidman said he and Jones have already talked about a future showdown and that each man recognizes the likelihood of this bout coming to fruition under the UFC banner.
“I wanted to clear out my division more before I finally got…I wanted that superfight with Jon Jones,” Weidman said. “And that fight’s going to happen at some point. I’ve talked with him about it face to face, and he’s excited about it too.”
Right now, both Weidman and Jones are booked for arguably their toughest title defenses to date on May 23’s UFC 187 fight card.
In the main event, Jones will face the resurgent Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Weidman will battle Vitor Belfort one fight earlier in the co-main event slot.
Weidman has defended his title twice since capturing the belt in the summer of 2013, earning a TKO victory over Anderson “The Spider” Silva at UFC 168 and besting Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida via unanimous decision at UFC 175.
While Silva and Machida are undoubtedly two of the best middleweights in the sport, Belfort poses a slightly different type of challenge with his unbridled aggression and massive power.
The Brazilian phenom previously challenged for Jones’ light heavyweight strap on short notice at UFC 152, nearly earning a submission victory in the first round before being forced to tap out to an Americana in Round 4.
At UFC 187, Belfort will likely have a speed advantage on the feet as well as an edge in overall experience, but Weidman has shown virtually no holes in his game—mentally or physically—throughout his undefeated professional career.
If he earns his third title defense on May 23 and Jones tacks on one of his own against Johnson, the superfight talks will start to heat up and Weidman might just get his wish.
What do you think about this potential showdown? Does Weidman have a chance against the light heavyweight superstar? Will each man still own his title on the morning of May 24?
Sound off below, and we’ll discuss this potentially massive clash.
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