Confirming plans to skirt a title unification fight with Tom Aspinall after UFC 309, Jon Jones has instead laid out his ideal opponents for a potential career continue after the event, namely former champion, Jamahal Hill and former title challenger, Derrick Lewis.
Jones, a former undisputed light heavyweight champion twice under the banner of the promotion, returns this weekend in the headliner of UFC 309 – taking on former champion, Stipe Miocic in the Madison Square Garden event headliner.
And returning to the Octagon for the first time since March of last year, Jon Jones most recently landed the vacant heavyweight crown with a stunning first round guillotine choke submission win over Ciryl Gane.
Hoping to defend his title for the first time this weekend against Miocic, Jones boldly laid out an ultimatum to the promotion today during his media availability – claiming if they failed to grant him a symbolic BMF title fight with Alex Pereira, he would likely call time on his combat sports career.
Jon Jones points to fights with Jamahal Hill and Derrick Lewis after UFC 309
“If the UFC doesn’t want [the Alex Pereira fight] to happen… then it won’t happen and I’ll just move on with my life,” Jon Jon Jones told assembled media. “Would you guys rather lose me, or get one more superfight? And that’s with Alex Pereira.”
And during a media scrum following his availability, Rochester native, Jon Jones delved further into what lays in wait for him following his fight with Miocic – noting his plans to fight in a “fun” pairing next, including matchups at a catchweight with the above-mentioned, Hill – as well a renowned knockout ace, Lewis.
I can see myself – I can see myself after these entertaining super fights,” Jon Jones told. “Only you know, after this fight, if we get a dominant performance, I’m prepared to vacate the heavyweight championship and fight for fun, and I want to fight for fun, and I’ve had a big chip in my shoulder my whole career of having to defend, defend, defend, and, you know, I don’t necessarily want it to be over, but I just want to, I just want to fight for fun. You know, I think about one of my teammates, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, you know, he just fights. Win lose, or draw, he just fights.”
“I would love to kind of experience that for the first time in my career, of just being, like, not having this belt to try to protect, but just fighting guys that I stylist, that we want to fight against, you know, just, just random fights, you know, like, you know, you know, Jamahal Hill. Me and him meet up at 220 [pounds] and see what happened. That’d be interesting to see. Let’s see what happens, you know, or I’m at an interesting weight, where I would fight like heavyweights or heavyweights. You know, Derrick Lewis – I’m just throwing out random names, but I’m at a bodyweight right now where I could do just fun fights, and that’s what I want to do. I want to do fun fights for me, not necessarily for the fans, but for me. You know, let’s see if Dana (White) allows me to do that or not.