Neither man is currently active in the UFC at the moment, but a future bout between Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones is still apparently desired by all parties involved.
UFC President Dana White discussed Lesnar’s status during a recent interview with TMZ Sports. The former heavyweight champion hasn’t competed since he defeated Mark Hunt at UFC 200, a result that was later overturned to a no contest after Lesnar failed a drug test. Since then White has said on multiple occasions that a Lesnar return to the Las Vegas-based promotion is likely.
“I know that Brock’s WWE deal is up at the end of the summer I think and I know he wants to fight, so I’m sure we’ll end up getting that figured out,” White said.
Initially, White was asked about a potential Lesnar pairing with former heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou. Ngannou recently showed interest in a potential bout with the WWE star.
“That’s a fun fight, absolutely,” White said. “There’s a lot of options. Jon Jones is very interested in Brock Lesnar and Brock is very interested in Jon Jones.”
The Lesnar-Jones saga dates back to UFC 214 last July, when Jones called out Lesnar following his victory over Daniel Cormier.
“Brock Lesnar, if you to know what it feels like to have your ass kicked by a someone that weighs 40 pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon,” Jones said then.
Jones is still awaiting resolution from his USADA case stemming from a positive test for the anabolic steroid Turinabol at UFC 214. Jones already had his license revoked and was fined $205,000 by the California State Athletic Commission. Meanwhile, Lesnar’s USADA suspension from UFC 200 was frozen after he announced his retirement from MMA and he must still fulfill six months of that sanction if he is to fight again.
If and when Jones and Lesnar are both cleared to compete in the UFC again, there seems to be a decent chance the superfight could happen.
“Oh yeah,” White said. “Lesnar vs. [Jones]? They both want it. It’s a fun fight.”