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Jon Jones vs. Brock Lesnar Probably Won’t Happen Until Summer 2018, If Ever

If you’re getting hyped up for the potential Jon Jones vs. Brock Lesnar super fight, you may have to wait awhile. Jones famously called out for a bout with the hulking former UFC heavyweight champion in his post-fight interview after his epic third-round knockout of former light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier in the main event […]

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If you’re getting hyped up for the potential Jon Jones vs. Brock Lesnar super fight, you may have to wait awhile.

Jones famously called out for a bout with the hulking former UFC heavyweight champion in his post-fight interview after his epic third-round knockout of former light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier in the main event of last Saturday’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from Anaheim, inciting a small wildfire across the MMA stratosphere.

The callout only built upon weeks of speculation that was ramped up when Jones said he ‘would love’ to face Lesnar during UFC 214 fight week, to which Lesnar reacted that he would fight him ‘anytime, anywhere’ – but first he had to worry about ‘D.C.’ Jones took care of that rivalry, and was quick to strategically move on to his next ‘big’ challenge immediately after winning the belt back. Lesnar was also quick to respond to the official callout, warning Jones to be ‘careful what he wished for.’

The fight would most certainly be one of the best-selling UFC pay-per-view (PPV) events of all-time, and it could be able to flirt with the record for the best. However, if the fight is going to happen, it’s not likely to take place until summer 2018 at the very earliest.

According to a report from MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer, the fact that Lesnar remains suspended for failing drug tests for banned substance Clomiphene before and during his decision win over Mark Hunt at last summer’s UFC 200. Lesnar retired mid-suspension, so his one-year ban remained ‘frozen’ until he chooses to re-enter the testing pool, for which he still has over six months remaining. The UFC has since clarified Lesnar has not notified them that was his decision as of yet.

So if he was to re-enter the testing pool today, Lesnar wouldn’t be able to face Jones in the early months of 2018 right when his suspension expired. He’d have to be already going through an exhaustive training camp to face arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history, but more impactful may be his status as the WWE Universal Champion. The two biggest events of the WWE’s schedule – The Royal Rumble in late January and WrestleMania in April – would block the road for Lesnar’s return during the spring, leaving the only logical time for him to return to the octagon at July’s International Fight Week event.

A WWE source reportedly told Meltzer that Lesnar was ‘100 percent at Mania. Not even a discussion either way – 100 percent.’ It’s hardly a surprise, as Lesnar is one of the biggest draws in pro-wrestling just like he is in the UFC. He could be ready to fight sometime in early June if the UFC did make that happen, and they may or may not need the approval of WWE owner Vince McMahon to make the super bout a reality.

Lesnar’s contract reportedly expires in April, and he could be using his potential UFC comeback as backup to broker a bigger deal if he is to re-sign with the WWE. If that is the case, however, Meltzer noted that he will have to bide his time wisely, as the 40-year-old behemoth’s days to compete in the octagon at a world-class level are numbered.

Regardless of the hurdles and roadblocks to clear in order to make the fight happen, however, it’s an obvious booking that the UFC will do everything in their power to make – even if they have to wait almost a year’s time to accomplish that feat.

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“Rumble” Thinks He Would’ve Knocked Out Jon Jones At UFC 214

Following an over two-year period littered with fight cancellations due to various drug-related issues, all-time great UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones finally won back the title he never lost by knocking out archrival Daniel Cormier in the main event of Saturday night’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 from Anaheim, Calif. Since then, “Bones” has […]

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Since then, “Bones” has called out former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for an upcoming super fight, and the prospect of a rematch with No. 2-ranked Alexander Gustafsson still hangs over Jones’ head after their close, even controversial UFC 165 affair.

But one huge fight that not many people are talking about – at least yet – is Jones’ previously scheduled match-up with feared knockout artist Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who was set to meet “Bones” at May 2015’s UFC 187 before Jones’ hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque forced the UFC to remove him from the fight. Cormier, who had just lost to Jones for the first time at UFC 182 that January, stepped in to submit “Rumble” and win the belt, and “DC” repeated that feat at April’s UFC 210 in their rematch.

Photo by Kevin Hoffman for USA TODAY Sports

And after Johnson shockingly retired after losing to Cormier a second time, it’s hardly surprising a “Rumble” match-up isn’t being discussed for Jones, even if would be one of the few huge spectacle bouts left for Jones at 205 pounds. That talk is about to be ramped up in a big way, however, as Johnson appeared on today’s edition of The MMA Hour to reveal that, after attending the fight in person, his competitive juices did begin flowing a bit:

“It was definitely great seeing it from a fan point of view, you know what I mean? I absolutely loved the fights. This card was amazing. But it did kind of get me going a little bit seeing Jon and Daniel in there doing their thing. And I don’t know man, we’ll see what happens.”

Pressed for more specifics on any kind of return, “Rumble” revealed he would only come back to meet Jones if the financial side of the bout made sense, as he’s beaten everyone else at the top of 205 save for Cormier:

“Well, you know what? I’m kind of on the fence, you know what I’m saying? If I’m going to come back, it’d definitely have to be worth it for me, you know what I’m saying, financially, because I have so much going on already and things that are great. But if I come back, it would just be to fight the legend in Jon Jones himself. I’ve beaten pretty much anyone else except for Daniel and Jon.”

Photo Credit: Brad Penner for USA TODAY Sports

Long known as quite possibly the hardest hitter in the UFC and perhaps even MMA history, “Rumble” got the hype for any potential bout with Jones building by offering his belief that the big shots Cormier landed on Jones Saturday night would have put him down if they had been his:

“Jon got hit with some big punches from Daniel. I know if I would hit him with some of those punches, most likely he would have went down, you know I mean? Jon is a hell of a fighter; have nothing but respect for him and his family.”

A “Rumble” return could definitely be a boon to a currently shallow UFC light heavyweight talent pool that is suffering for true contenders outside of Gustafsson and the suddenly surging Volkan Oezdemir, but there are several hurdles to clear for it to become a reality.

First of all, Johnson would have to notify the UFC he was ending his retirement and re-enter the USADA testing pool before he was cleared to fight similar to what Lesnar would also have to do in order to fight Jones (Johnson has no suspension left like Lesnar, however). That would take several months, and it’s entirely possible the UFC would have already booked Jones vs. Lesnar by then because it’s a fight that’s just too big to pass up.

Second, Johnson has already lost twice in one-sided fashion to Cormier, whom Jones, in turn, defeated twice himself, the second of which was a devastating knockout. While MMA math rarely adds up accurately, it’s also safe to think “Bones” would be a heavy early favorite over “Rumble.”

But if anyone can change a fight with one punch, it’s the former number one contender who retired perhaps a bit too early. If he does choose to return to fight “Bones” and can actually get the fight, he’s going to have to show up with his head truly in the game in order to compete with the best light heavyweight to ever set foot in the Octagon. Should “Rumble” return to fight Jon Jones, and would he be able to drop him like he thinks he could?

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Jon Jones Won’t Make Any Promises: I’m A Wild Motherf**ker

Newly re-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones seemed to erase much of the bad memories of the last two years, at least for the time being, with his absolutely jaw-dropping third-round knockout of former champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of last night’s UFC 214 from Anaheim. Cormier had been a model champion […]

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Cormier had been a model champion when Jones had turned into a volatile version of his own worst enemy, defending the title against Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson while Jones seemed to find himself in some sort of drug-related trouble around every corner. There was the failed drug test for cocaine before he and Cormier’s first fight, there was the disturbing hit-and-run in Albuquerque, there was the probation violation, and most of all, there was the USADA drug test failure three days prior to their rescheduled rematch at last July’s UFC 200.

All of that justifiably lead to many fans wondering if Jones would ever continue living up to his potential as arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, a title he almost certainly cemented when he knocked out Cormier – a stalwart competitor who had never been finished – in the third round last night. Jones is back, ladies and gentlemen, and as always, the future looks extremely bright if you can just stay out of trouble long enough to make it to the cage.

He did that last night, and the result was one of the most spectacular light heavyweight title fights in UFC history, and that’s saying a lot, maybe even saying a ton. Jones may have come off a more relaxed and nonchalant during the buildup to his absolutely integral UFC 214 return, but at this point, we never really know what to expect from supremely well-rounded fighter whose issues have never been inside the octagon. ‘Bones’ is likeable enough this week, and indeed many wanted to see him come back to win the belt he technically never lost.

The champ offered his view on why people want to see him find success again at the post-fight press conference, noting that fans simply want to see how he’s going to respond to the problems he created for himself. In that sense, he’s glad to be an example for others:

“I think I’m like a modern situation and people like to see how I’m going to handle it, and I think that’s what’s most intriguing, to see someone come back from so much bullshit, right? So I’m glad to be out there, I’m glad to be out there and my life can be a testimony for others.”

Jones moved on to discuss what would be different than his initial title run, where he won the belt at a record-setting 23 years of age and admittedly was far from ready for the temptations of fame and fortune at such a ripe age. “Bones” insists that he would be much more knowledgeable about the responsibility offered him as champion, but at the end of the day, he could never promise to be a saint, because he’s a wild man:

“Well, my effort. My effort; I think I’ll make a conscious effort to just do better. I’m also a lot more aware of who I am and the responsibility that comes along with being a champion, a UFC champion. And so, I don’t want to sit up here and make promises and say that I’m going to be a saint, because, I’m a wild motherfucker at the end of the day. But I can try to do things better, I can make a conscious effort to make better decisions, and I think that’s enough. I think me expecting more out of myself will ultimately lead me to just being a better champion.”

We’ll have to find out if that will indeed be enough, as it’s clear only poor decisions can stop the steamrolling titleholder from asserting himself as the best athlete to ever set foot in the octagon. With all due respect to Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Demetrious Johnson, Jones wins fights in ways others cannot over the best of the best.

He’s currently headed for what looks like a massive spectacle of a super fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, a fight that would no doubt be one of the hottest-selling items in MMA history. But with Alexander Gustafsson waiting for his long overdue rematch and Lesnar still suspended until next year, that fight would also be an excellent main event for November 4’s big pay-per-view event from MAdison Square Garden.

Will Jones be able to make good enough decisions to make it to his next fight? Let’s hope so, because every single one was – and is – going to be a huge event from here on.

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