Jon Jones is still on the fence when it comes to fighting a few more times.
The Options
It’s hard to say anybody else has had a better career than the two-division UFC Champion, but all things must come to an end and Jones knows he won’t hold onto his heavyweight title forever. Jones, 36, got injured ahead of his title defense last year against Stipe Miocic – one he hopes to run back later this year.
After that, “Bones” has no idea what could happen… only that there are “crazy options” for him to choose from.
“Honestly, it’s hard to say right now,” Jones responded to a fan on ‘X’, asking if he’d retire after fighting Miocic. “I’m gonna base a lot of that on my next performance. The options are looking crazy right now.”
One potential fight for Jones isn’t even in the UFC Heavyweight division – that being UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira, who’s quickly becoming one of the sport’s biggest stars for his insane knockout power and ability to perform at the highest level, especially on short notice.
The other? An title unification with Tom Aspinall, who Jones isn’t all that interested in, leaving Aspinall to defend his interim title against Curtis Blaydes in the co-headliner of UFC 304 later this month.
DC: “Jones vs. Pereira Would Be A Massive Payday…”
Jones has received much criticism for not being sold on a fight with Aspinall, however, the heavyweight champ has expressed some interest in a champ vs. champ fight with Pereira as “Poatan” tries to make history as a three-weight world champion in the UFC.
If Cormier was in the shoes of his former rival Jones, he’d be calling for a super-fight with Pereira in an effort to steal his shine.
“I’ll tell you one thing Jones said, now he might stick around because he goes, ‘the options are looking great’,” Cormier said on Funky and The Champ. “And if I’m Jones, look man, if I’m Jones, I fight Stipe, I beat Stipe, and then I call on the UFC to make Pereira go up [to heavyweight], knowing that you could take all that thunder because Jones vs. Pereira would be a massive payday.”
The Odds
Pereira just surpassed Jones in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings with Jones now at #3 and Pereira at #2, but when it comes to an actual fight, DC doesn’t think it’d end all too well for the light heavyweight champion, given the holes he has in the wrestling department.
“Jones is a -800 favorite to fight Pereira and beat Pereira, if they were to fight,” Cormier said of the betting odds for the hypothetical fight. “So, it’s just like not a great matchup [for Pereira], but I love Alex, man. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”
Does Jon Jones stick around for a fight with Alex Pereira? And if so, should he unify the title against interim champ Tom Aspinall beforehand?
