Twelve months ago, Jon Jones missed his first defense of the UFC Heavyweight Championship due to a serious injury, missing out on his chance to compete in the world's most famous arena.
On Saturday (10 p.m. ET), perhaps the most accomplished fighter in UFC history will face his originally scheduled opponent Stipe Miocic in the UFC's marquee pay-per-view at the same arena, Madison Square Garden. Play as an attraction and get a mulligan. 309.
“I never thought this sport would wait for me,” said Jones, who was forced out of the UFC 295 headliner last year with less than two weeks until fight night due to a torn pectoral muscle, who recently spoke on Zoom. He told the Post via. Dana [White, UFC CEO,] Both Stipe and I showed me the respect I deserved. He knew how badly we wanted to play against each other and gave us that opportunity a year later. I'm just so grateful. I don't take that opportunity for granted. I took my recovery pretty seriously. Right now, I feel like my life is shaping up and I'm excited to give my fans, the fans who have been waiting patiently, what they've been waiting for. ”
As is customary, last fall the UFC reached into its bags of produce and made a delicious meal out of what might have felt like leftovers from losing its headline act.
The light heavyweight battle for the vacant championship between former champion Jiri Prochaska and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira moves to top billing, with the interim title of the big boys going to battle with hulking finisher Tom Aspinall. It was founded between Sergei Pavlovich and Jones on the shelf.
That night, Pereira was crowned the fastest two-division champion in UFC history, and Aspinall appeared with a placeholder strap that usually leads to a showdown with a first-class titlist.
But if that last spin around the sun revealed anything about the UFC heavyweight division, it's this: A match with Aspinall has little interest for Jones.
“There's nothing about him that really attracts me. Nothing,” Jones said. “He reminds me of a lot of other up-and-coming fighters that I fought against… It doesn't do anything for my legacy. It's like nothing really.”
Instead, Jones (27-1, 17th place) has another big winner from the Garden in 2023 as a more appealing foil.
“But Pereira is an interesting guy to me,” Jones says of the man who currently holds the light heavyweight title that Jones held through most of the 2010s. “…This guy is a champion killer just like me. Those types of things tempt me. We're both 37 years old. We're both about the same weight now.”
While some in the MMA media and social media world were intrigued by Pereira's idea, some vocal advocates decried the idea of ”avoiding” a unification fight with Aspinall.
Jones remains adamant that Pereira is the only man on the UFC roster who is intriguing (overcoming Miocic, a two-time champion who has won six title fights in the promotion). is the condition), and has continued to challenge all kinds of “charlatans” and cheats. Emojis have become popular on the internet.
Is there anything about Aspinall that piques Jones' interest? “Really, nothing,” Jones said.
“I think he's annoying,” he says of the 31-year-old from England, who has repeatedly tried to catch the legend's attention and secure a well-deserved title unification fight. “I've been here a long time, and he just came to the UFC a while ago. If he wanted to fight me, he could have been here. I was like, 'Where have you been all this time?' . ”
Full disclosure: Aspinall is a prospect who didn't make his UFC debut until five months after Jones' last light heavyweight fight (a highly competitive decision victory over Dominick Reyes in February 2020), and he was injured in a knee injury. He was recovering from a bruise. Jones dispatched Gehn.
and monday jones He told Sportsnet's Aaron Bronsteter. He said he has no intention of relinquishing the title if it means preparing for a fight against Pereira, but he also hinted that the BMF belt is being contested between the two-time champions, which is intriguing. are.
It doesn't matter if Jones doesn't make his first defense of the heavyweight title against Miocic (20-4, 15 finishes). Despite being 42 years old, Miocic offers one of the most well-rounded skill sets in the division.
“At the end of the day, no matter how competitive there is in the world, they can only fight me at a time,” Jones said. “So I'm going to take it one fight at a time and focus on beating Stipe first and then see who's next and focus on them.”
