Lesnar’s suspension means Jones fight will have to wait
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jon Jones really wants to fight Brock Lesnar, but UFC president Dana White doesn’t see it happening anytime soon.
Jones called out Lesnar, the WWE star and former UFC heavyweight champion, after his third-round knockout of Daniel Cormier on Saturday night at UFC 214 to recapture the light heavyweight title.
“I think it’s a winnable matchup,” Jones said. “Lesnar has millions of followers outside of MMA. It would be huge to steal some of those followers. I feel Brock has a pretty limited game. I just think it’s a winnable fight and there’s so much reward that’s involved. I just want to do it.”
White said a Jones-Lesnar matchup sounds enticing, but Lesnar’s positive test for performance-enhancing drugs last year complicates matters. Lesnar retired from MMA after being suspended following his victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 for testing positive for a substance banned by the USADA. Lesnar would not be allowed to compete in the UFC for at least six months af- ter re-entering the USADA’s testing program following completion of his one-year suspension that was frozen by his retirement.
“The reality of it happening anytime soon is not a reality,” White said.
White had similar doubts about boxing king Floyd Mayweather fighting UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and now that’s a reality. Jones said McGregor landing a fight with Mayweather is why he’s seeking a fight with Lesnar.
“Conor has been a tremendous inspiration to me,” Jones said. “He has shown me that these huge paydays are possible. I never thought in my time as a fighter that I would see fighters making $100 million like he’s making in the Mayweather fight. Now you can do it by getting the world excited by an MMA fight and ultimately making some of those zeroes because that’s what we’re here for.”
Jones, meanwhile, vows to be a more focused and committed champion than he was in his initial reign where he was stripped of his title for being involved in a hit-andrun accident and also testing positive for cocaine use.
“I’ll make a conscious effort to do better,” Jones said. “I’m a lot more aware of who I am and the responsibility that comes with being a UFC champion.”
Tyron Woodley successfully defended his UFC welterweight title for the third time Saturday night with a unanimous decision over Demian Maia, but Woodley lost a lucrative bout with Georges StPierre in the process. Woodley’s fight with Maia was so dull it set a record for the least number of strikes landed (68) in a five-round championship bout.
Cris “Cyborg” Justino’s first women’s featherweight title defense could come against former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm. It’s a bout that could potentially land at UFC 217, set for Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4.