There may be tons of talk about Jon Jones’ stint as a heavyweight, but there hasn’t been any real progress. “Bones” vacated the 205-pound belt in 2020 to pursue a new chapter in his prizefighting career, and nearly two years in, he has yet to make anything official.
Many are expecting Jones to be a frontrunner to challenge the winner of Saturday’s heavyweight title headliner between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. UFC president Dana White, however, isn’t one of them.
In a recent sitdown with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White says he can’t say for certain whether Jones will indeed be the next title challenger at heavyweight.
“I don’t feel confident saying that Jon Jones is next. And not because I think he’s unreliable, it’s because I honestly don’t know what Jon Jones wants to do next,” White said.
“I think Jon’s gonna watch this fight and he’ll decide maybe he doesn’t fight at heavyweight. Maybe he goes back and tries to regain the light heavyweight championship. I honestly don’t know the answer to that question.
“After everything plays out on Saturday… there’s just so much going into this fight. It’s all part of the drama, though. It’s all part of what makes this weekend so fun.”
Jones last fought at UFC 247 pre-pandemic in February 2020 against Dominick Reyes. He won via a debated unanimous decision, then vacated the title six months later.
About the author
