The await Jon Jones to return to motion could also be ahead of 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 totally dedicated to any battle since then, White is assured that he’ll get a deal completed to place him within the octagon in opposition to interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a title unification bout.
“The plan is to battle Jon this summer time,” White advised The Jim Rome Present. “Clearly, when, the place and all that stuff is being decided. My objective this yr is to make that battle [with] Aspinall.”
A possible wrinkle to these plans may come this weekend when Alex Pereira defends his mild heavyweight title in opposition to Magomed Ankalaev within the UFC 313 principal occasion.
A win would function Pereira’s fourth straight title protection and there wouldn’t be lots of new challenges left for him at 205 kilos.
The truth is, Pereira has already teased a possible transfer to heavyweight, however White says he’s truly 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 needs to go as much as heavyweight and battle at heavyweight, too,” White mentioned. “I’m the one which’s truly holding him again on that.”
Maybe the largest roadblock to Pereira shifting as much as heavyweight is White’s willpower to guide Jones in opposition to Aspinall earlier than anything.
White vows that’s the battle he needs 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 needs to [fight Jon Jones],” White mentioned about Pereira. “Let’s see how this battle performs out, if he wins, how he wins, all that type of stuff.
“I feel that the battle that everyone needs to see proper now’s Jones and Aspinall after which there’s little doubt that Pereira may battle the winner.”
