With UFC fight announcements coming thick and fast as we approach the end of the year, Dana White has finally given a timeline for Jon Jones’ potential octagon return.
‘Bones’ has been out of action since his unanimous decision win over Dominick Reyes. However, it now looks like he could be making a comeback sooner rather than later. The former 205-pound champion has decided to test his mettle in a new division and has been working hard for the past two years to make the step up to heavyweight.
While in a recent interview with BT Sport, Dana White revealed exactly when he expects Jon Jones to compete in the cage again, insisting that it will likely be sometime next year:
“We’re working on getting him back. Hopefully early next year or in the spring… Jon Jones has been a difficult guy to manage and deal with over the years, but at the same time, I respect the talent, the brilliance… The guy is one of the greatest athletes of all time, and unfortunately, a lot of his greatness will be blurred by the outside octagon stuff that happened. But realistically, when you look at him and we talk about him being the G.O.A.T., he actually might be one of the greatest athletes ever.”
Although many consider him to be the greatest to ever step foot into the octagon, the 35-year-old has come into some criticism for his recent performances inside the octagon, with his last two bouts ending in extremely close decisions.
Check out what Dana White had to say about the former light heavyweight king in the video below:
What is most likely to happen for Jon Jones upon his UFC return?
Having last fought on February 8, 2020, we are closing in on three years without seeing Jon Jones inside the octagon, so if he does come back, who is he most likely to face?
Since announcing his move to heavyweight, the Hall-of-Famer has had multiple callouts from fighters in the division, but given his stature in the sport, he will likely only compete if title implications are on the line.
If Francis Ngannou hasn’t returned to the octagon to defend his title by the time Jones makes his debut in the weight class, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the UFC book one of the all-time greats against a top 5 contender like Ciryl Gane or Stipe Miocic in an interim title clash.