Even if Jon Jones
doesn’t get an immediate heavyweight title shot, there are some
interesting possibilities in the big man’s division for the former
205-pound king.
UFC president Dana White has been making the media rounds in
advance of Saturday’s UFC 262 card, and one of the hot topics of
conversation has been the potential booking between heavyweight
champion Francis
Ngannou and Jones. At the moment, it appears that the promotion
has moved on from that fight and is targeting a rematch between
Ngannou and Derrick
Lewis for the next heavyweight title bout.
“We’re working on that fight [Ngannou vs. Lewis],” White told
TSN. “That fight is going to happen this summer.”
Jones has been quite vocal regarding his desire for a more
lucrative contract to go with his move to heavyweight. Thus far,
negotiations between the fighter, who recently
parted ways with his management team, and the UFC have not been
especially productive.
“I haven’t [spoken to Jones], but [chief business officer] Hunter
Campbell has a great relationship with Jon, and I know those two
have been talking,” White told
ESPN. “Listen, Jon is one of the best ever. If he wants to
fight, we’ll get a fight together for him, but he’s got to want to
do it.”
White also mentioned former champ Stipe
Miocic as an alternative possibility for Jones for his
heavyweight debut.
“[Miocic] is the heavyweight GOAT,” White said to ESPN. “The guy
has put in the work and done all the things you need to be the
heavyweight GOAT, so that’s a fact. And I don’t know. We’ll see
what’s next. I like that he’s fired up and wants to fight again.
Listen, we could do Jon and Stipe, too.”