Jones hasn’t fought since March 2023, when, returning after three years of absence, he won the vacant heavyweight title by “choking out” Frenchman Cyril Gane in the first round. The fight with Gane became Jones’ 14th title fight of his career. In all other championship fights, he had fought at the light heavyweight limit (up to 93 kg), where he became the belt holder twice.
At the end of April, Jones began training after recovering from an injury sustained in the fall and posted a photo from the gym on social media. And now he announced that he already knows his opponent. You can place bets on Jones’ upcoming fight, as well as other events from the world of sports, on Pin Up oyunu.
About The Injury And Upcoming Plans
John sustained an injury while preparing for a bout with Stipe Miocic, which was supposed to take place in November 2023. During his time off in the division, changes occurred, and John gained new real competitors. Now, it’s interesting to see which career path the champion will choose.
In early May, the UFC champion posted a new post on his social media, discussing his next fight. According to the renowned fighter, there is currently an agreement on the fight, but no signatures have been given to the contract yet. “Right now, it’s just a verbal agreement,” John wrote on his social media page. John announced that he already knew the date of his return to the prestigious promotion’s cage. “I have a date, and I’ll let boss Dana [White] announce it,” John wrote on his X social media page (formerly Twitter).
Who’s The Opponent?
Earlier, John spoke about his readiness to fight with the light heavyweight champion of the league, Alex Pereira from Brazil. “Guys, who would you rather see me fight, Alex Pereira or Tom Aspinall?” John wrote.
“A fight with Pereira after the Miocic fight may become the next biggest step I can take. This killer has already defeated many champions and is already considered a legend by millions worldwide. I believe that a fight with him will be the biggest UFC fight ever. Let Alex have a chance to avenge all those great Brazilian champions I defeated,” John wrote on his social media page.
The most obvious choice is the same fight with Stipe Miocic. Perhaps the safest option for John and the loudest in terms of names. “The greatest fighter of all time against the greatest heavyweight of all time” — that’s what John and Stipe’s potential fight is called. Both fighters have long agreed to the fight, and Miocic is not going to fight anyone but the champion.
But let’s not forget that John has not appeared in the cage for over a year. Even with all the respect for John and his merits, in the case of a fight with Stipe, the division will be stalled for more than a year and a half. And this, to say the least, is not very fair to other contenders.
First and foremost — to Tom Aspinall. During John’s absence, the Briton took on a tough fight against Sergey Pavlovich, won it by knockout, and won the interim belt. From a sporting point of view, the fight between John and Aspinall, the champion with the interim champion, is much more logical than John’s fight with Miocic, who has not fought for three years. Tom has been trying to hype up the fight with John, but John only responds with sarcasm in his characteristic manner: that a fight with Aspinall, whom nobody knows, won’t give John anything but risk.
“Just four recognizable opponents, and he already thinks he’s the king of England. It’s really funny. Legends will be made about you and your shameful calls. It doesn’t work that way. I was a champion when I was 23. You can’t pretend at 30 that you’ve been chased your whole life. I have no idea what fights make up 90% of his resume,” John wrote on his official social media page.
But a fight with Miocic is a different matter: less risk, more money, and fame. But if John is not planning to retire and intends to continue fighting, then a fight with Aspinall is simply inevitable. Tom has an interim belt, and if John plans to avoid the Briton, the UFC might just strip John of his belt, as was done with Conor McGregor in his time.
And, of course, we cannot overlook the pair Sergey Pavlovich – Alexander Volkov. Two top Russian heavyweights agreed to a face-to-face fight, and the winner could vie for a championship fight. Sergey ranks third in the ratings, behind only Tom Aspinall and Cyril Gane. But let’s not forget that the Frenchman already showed a “splendid” performance against John, losing to him in two minutes, so Cyril definitely won’t get another chance, at least not now. But Pavlovich, in case of victory over Volkov, will definitely be in the title race. Moreover, if Alexander wins against Sergey, he will become one of the main contenders for the title, especially since Volkov has never fought for the belt, although he has been in the league for a long time.
About Author
