The await Jon Jones to return to motion could also be before later.
On Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White revealed his anticipated timeline for Jones to return to motion and defend his heavyweight title after a lopsided win over Stipe Miocic this previous November. Whereas Jones hasn’t absolutely dedicated to any combat since then, White is assured that he’ll get a deal completed to place him within the octagon towards interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a title unification bout.
“The plan is to combat Jon this summer season,” White advised The Jim Rome Present. “Clearly, when, the place and all that stuff is being decided. My purpose this yr is to make that combat [with] Aspinall.”
A possible wrinkle to these plans may come this weekend when Alex Pereira defends his mild heavyweight title towards Magomed Ankalaev within the UFC 313 fundamental occasion.
A win would function Pereira’s fourth straight title protection and there wouldn’t be a variety of new challenges left for him at 205 kilos.
Actually, Pereira has already teased a possible transfer to heavyweight, however White says he’s really behind hitting the pause button the Brazilian altering divisions once more after conquering middleweight and light-weight heavyweight.
“The opposite factor about Pereira that everyone loves is, this man desires to go as much as heavyweight and combat at heavyweight, too,” White mentioned. “I’m the one which’s really holding him again on that.”
Maybe the most important roadblock to Pereira transferring as much as heavyweight is White’s dedication to e-book Jones towards Aspinall earlier than anything.
White vows that’s the combat he desires to make most proper now however assuming Jones battles Aspinall in 2025, he gained’t low cost the likelihood that Pereira may then place himself for a large showdown in his heavyweight debut.
“He desires to [fight Jon Jones],” White mentioned about Pereira. “Let’s see how this combat performs out, if he wins, how he wins, all that form of stuff.
“I believe that the combat that everyone desires to see proper now could be Jones and Aspinall after which there’s little question that Pereira may combat the winner.”
