Before Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar was a thing, it was Jon Jones who called out the World Wrestling Entertainment star following what appeared to be a victory over “DC” at UFC 214.
Everything changed, however, when Jones tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol in relation to the fight. A suspension cost Jones his win over Cormier, the light heavyweight title and, a potential showdown with Lesnar.
Now, it’s Cormier who is targeting a lucrative clash with Lesnar in the first quarter of 2019. After “DC” became a two-division champ with a knockout of Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, he and Lesnar had a shoving match inside the Octagon, an obvious hype-building move.
Now that Jones has completed his suspension, he will return to the Octagon at UFC 232 to face Gustafsson for the soon-to-be vacant 205-pound crown. Of course, Jones still has unfinished business with Cormier, his longtime rival, but he also wouldn’t mind revisiting that fight with Lesnar. Still, despite his usual disdain for Cormier, Jones believes the American Kickboxing Academy standout has earned the right for a so-called “money fight.”
“I don’t really know about the deserving part. DC’s a pretty deserving guy,” Jones said during a recent media call. “He does a lot of right things, carries the sport very well. But fighting Brock Lesnar is always appealing, you know what I mean? That’s a win-win situation. That’s a huge money fight.
“That’s me fighting a guy that’s a hell of a lot bigger than me and everyone wins in that situation.”
Jones has teased a move to heavyweight in the past, and with Cormier holding the belt in the big man’s division, stepping up a weight class could just be a matter of time. Jones believes that a booking against Lesnar would benefit all parties involved.
“I win because of the courage that it takes to step in there against a guy that’s way bigger than you . I win because the pay-per-view that would follow it,” he said. “The fans would win. It’d just be great for the sport, be good for everybody involved and I’m totally always up for that.”