UFC president Dana White has finally spoken up about the much anticipated return of Jon Jones, stating that the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion is ready to come back to the Octagon and will face either Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic.
Jon Jones is ready to go: Dana White
Jon Jones has now gone nearly two and a half years without a fight. “Bones” made his last UFC appearance against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020, defending his title via unanimous decision.
Soon after the victory over Reyes, Jones vacated the Light Heavyweight title, planning a move up to heavyweight. Unfortunately, several issues including the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict with Dana White regarding pay, as well as the domestic violence incident impeded the jump.
All that being said, the UFC president revealed on The Jim Rome Show on Monday that Jones is now finally ready for his return to Octagon, and he will face either reigning Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou for the title, or former two time Heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic for the interim belt.
“Jon Jones is ready to go. We’re just waiting for an opponent. It’s either going to be Francis [Ngannou] depending on how long his knee is going to take to recover or Stipe Miocic,” said White.
“It’s very interesting because I’m a huge believer in ring rust. But for all the negative things you could say about Jon Jones and his personal life and things that have happened, he’s the best. He’s definitely the best of all time,” the UFC prez added. [H/T BJPenn.com]
Currently ranked as the 9th pound for pound fighter in the promotion, Jon Jones’ return is something that the MMA fandom is eagerly waiting for and no matter who he faces between Ngannou and Miocic, the fight can easily turn out to be the biggest of the year.
However, there’s no exact time frame for Jones’ return yet. The two time Light Heavyweight champion had said back in April that he was ready to wait until September to face Miocic. On the other hand, Ngannou revealed that he will be Octagon-ready by December.
Who do you want Jon Jones to face on his return? Let us know in the comment section below.
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