When top-ranked UFC light heavyweight Anthony Johnson knocked out formerly surging contender Glover Teixiera in a mere 13 seconds (highlights) in the co-main event of last weekend’s (Sat., August 20, 2016) UFC 202 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he was under the impression that he had all but sealed his next shot at champion Daniel Cormier.
With three straight knockout wins over Teixeira, Ryan Bader, and Jimi Manuwa, it was easy to understand “Rumble’s” stance. However, that may not end up being the case according to Dana White.
“Rumble” had largely spent the build-up to his UFC 202 co-headliner against Teixeira trying to distance himself from temporarily suspended longtime former champion Jon Jones, whom he was scheduled to face at 2015’s UFC 187 before “Bones” was stripped of the belt for legal trouble, allowing Cormier to come in and beat him for the title. While “Rumble” is certainly deserving of the next title fight on merit alone, White revealed on today’s “UFC Unfiltered” podcast that the promotion is considering a Jones vs. Johnson title eliminator:
“I’m in a weird place. We saw that fight, and it was a great fight. I’ve still got to talk to (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva and see what he thinks. But I’m thinking maybe we do Anthony Johnson vs. Jon Jones to see who gets to fight Daniel Cormier.”
Jones, who is temporarily suspended by the NSAC for two potential USADA anti-doping violations that ruined his UFC 200 main event rematch with Cormier, recently released an Instagram video revealing supposedly “really good” news that would allow him to get back into the Octagon soon. News soon followed that Jones’ failure for two banned estrogen blockers may have been due to Cialis, something that White hinted at.
He couldn’t release any official details, but White did note that Jones shockingly has yet another chance for a comeback, and things are realistically “looking good” for his return:
“I haven’t talked to Jon, but the guy’s got 13 lives. It’s looking good for him. I think he’s got to deal with (the) Nevada (State Athletic Commission) right now and this thing that went down. I can’t say a lot about it because it’s not my place. We’ll see how this thing plays out, but it’s looking good for him.”
As one of the most anticipated bouts in all of MMA – and quite possibly the most at light heavyweight – there’s little question that a Jones vs. ‘Rumble’ match-up would do big business and provide a clear-cut title contender in a division that could only be called a mess due to Jones’ seemingly never-ending troubles outside the cage.
But most wanted to see “Bones” vs. “Rumble” for the official title, and it’s a legitimate question if whether or not Jones will be able to make his way through one training camp, let alone the two he would have to in order to finally realize his long-held rivalry with Cormier.
That’s a lot of variables to fall into place, and it could easily be argued that “Rumble” has done much more than Jones in terms of actual fight accomplishments over the last two years. Jones does own a win over the man who beat “Rumble” in Cormier, however.
If you didn’t think the time-honored UFC 205-pound division was messy enough, it could get a whole lot messier in the coming months, fight fans. Stay tuned.
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