UFC president Dana White revealed he plans to book a heavyweight interim title bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. He is expecting Jon Jones to return to the octagon this summer.
Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is finally getting back in the cage.Former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion was last seen in the octagon in February of 2020 when he defended his light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes. What followed was a contentious negotiation for a Ngannou superfight that lead to Jones changing his management.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jones was suspended from the UFC after a domestic violence incident that followed his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Jon Jones has been planning his return for a while now. In the fall out from the legal issues, Jones was exiled from his longtime gym – Jacksonwink and ended up joining up with Henry Cejudo.
UFC president Dana White is expecting Jon Jones to return this summer. During a recent talk with TMZ Sports, 52-year-old revealed he is planning to give Jones an interim title bout against former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
“Listen, people have been talking about how awesome this card is, and I was just telling somebody the other day our lineup for this summer is incredible.” White said.
“I’m hoping that Jon Jones is gonna be a part of that lineup this summer. Yeah, Stipe makes sense.” White added.
Miocic’s last bout was in March of last year when he failed to defend his title against Francis Ngannou. The 39-year-old seems to be the perfect choice to test Jones after his long period of inactivity.
Jones’ new coach, Henry Cejudo shared:
“That’s the fight that’s going to happen. That’s where we are going to be able to really see the creativity of Jon. If we really think about… I don’t see Stipe with crazy knockout power. I think Stipe’s greatest gift is his endurance. Jon Jones, he needed this time off to get his mind right, to let his body recovery and enjoy his family. He needed all this, I wouldn’t be mad if he takes another year off because he’s accomplished so much.” Cejudo said.