Dana White recently revealed that Stipe Miocic agreed to fight Jon Jones, albeit in 2022. However, it looks like the heavyweight division is going to have to wait a little longer to see Jones in action, as his coach claims that Jones is uninterested in fighting the #1 ranked heavyweight contender, and only wants the biggest prize of all.
In a recent interview, Mike Winklejohn, Jones’ coach, claimed that Jon Jones has no interest in fighting anyone other than Francis Ngannou.
Jones’ Coach Says He’s Uninterested in Miocic Fight, Waiting for Ngannou
“From the outside looking in, I would think that wouldn’t excite Jon. I think Jon wants the big one. He wants to get the big one, he wants the big challenge, and right now Stipe’s not there. Stipe is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but Jon wants the biggest challenge out there. That’s how Jon Jones thinks.
That’s just me talking. For me it doesn’t seem that exciting for Jon, it doesn’t make sense. It makes sense to go after the title. Because honestly Jon is the best pound-for-pound of all time, so why would he have just a normal fight?
Unless we felt we needed that to get used to our new body. I don’t think we need that, I think Jon is already getting used to his new size, so there is not a necessity to take a step up fight. Jon is ready to go, he wants the challenge.”
Jones’ position echoes that of many champions switching divisions. The UFC seems OK with champions in one division gunning straight for a title shot in another.
However, at heavyweight, the queue for a title shot is long and dangerous. Francis Ngannou may currently sit at the top of the division, but with a freshly crowned Ciryl Gane as interim champion, Stipe Miocic ranked #1, and the likes of Derrick Lewis and Jairzinho Rozenstruik clamoring for a title shot, Jon Jones will need to be patient before he can take a run at the belt. Besides which, Francis Ngannou may well not be champion this time next year. Titles change hands quickly in MMA and Ciryl Gane has yet to lose a fight.
However, Winklejohn actually sees Jon Jones “leapfrogging” Cyril Gane for a title shot. Somebody should let the UFC know, because Dana White seemed very excited about Gane vs Ngannou after UFC 265.
“I think (Jon could leapfrog Gane). I would think so. I can’t put words in Jon Jones or his manager’s mouth by any means, please. But that makes sense to me. We’ve been training for Francis all along anyway, so it would keep on that same path.”
Do you think Jon Jones should just take the fight, or is he right to wait for the biggest shot of all? Let us know in the comments.
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