MMA legend Jon Jones makes unexpected request: what did he ask UFC president Dana White?
‘Bones’ is eyeing a return fight against the former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, but that doesn’t seem to be Jones’ main concern now.
Jon Jones hopes to return to the octagon this year, as he has been inactive for several months after injuring himself during a training session.
Considered by many the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, the Rochester native seems to have recovered from a torn pectoral muscle that forced him out of a scheduled title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November.
The UFC heavyweight champion hopes the UFC finally announces the date of his return fight against Miocic, one of the best heavyweights the world’s biggest MMA promotion has ever seen.
However, the former light heavyweight champion could also be interested in facing the interim heavyweight titleholder, Tom Aspinall, if he beats Curtis Blaydes this weekend at UFC 304 in Manchester, England.
Another big name Jones is interested in is Alex Pereira. Poatan is one of the best and most charismatic UFC fighters, and could eventually try to become the organization’s only three-division champion if he gets the belt at heavyweight, after dominating the middleweight and light heavyweight categories.
Jon Jones’ surprising request to UFC boss Dana White
But although those are exciting challenges for the American fighter, Jones is now focused on something else. The legendary fighter has only one loss in his professional career which came after being disqualified due to an illegal elbow against Matt Hamill in 2009 at the The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale.
Though Jones dominated his opponent with his wrestling, the referee stopped the fight after using an illegal 12-6 elbow strike, which refers to the concept of “straight up straight down elbow strike” to a grounded opponent.
The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to lift the ban on those kinds of strikes, with the new rule being in effect from November 1.
Jones quickly reacted to that change and asked the UFC president Dana White to overturn his disqualification on social media.
“Undefeated then, undefeated now”, he replied to the news, tagging White.
While overturning that result seems unlikely, as that fight took place 15 years ago, Jones will be allowed to use the 12-6 elbow in his next fight against Miocic, which is expected to happen beyond November 1.