Jon Jones: ‘Fighting Brock Lesnar is always appealing’
“Fighting Brock Lesnar is aways appealing. That’s a win-win situation.”
Jon Jones is still interested in a superfight against former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
Jones originally called out Lesnar after his knockout win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 (later overturned to a No Contest after Jones tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs), but, after spending over a year on the sidelines, fans are more interested in seeing Lesnar vs. Cormier.
Still, that hasn’t stopped ‘Bones’ from trying to stir up interest in the bout, telling reporters ahead of UFC 232 that a mega-money fight against Lesnar is a ‘win-win situation’ for him.
“Fighting Brock Lesnar is aways appealing,” said Jones on the UFC 232 conference call, per MMA Fighting’s Jose Youngs. “That’s a win-win situation. That’s a huge money fight and that’s me fighting a guy who’s a hell of a lot bigger than me and everyone wins in that situation.
“I win because of the courage it takes to step in there against a guy who’s way bigger than you, I win because of the pay-per-view that will follow, the fans will win. It would be great for the sport and it’d be good for everyone involved. So I’m totally up for that.”
Lesnar is eligible to return to the Octagon as early as Jan. 8, 2019. The 41-year-old tested positive for a banned substance in 2016 and was suspended for one year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. His win over Mark Hunt was overturned to a No Contest, meaning the wrestling powerhouse hasn’t officially won a fight since 2010, when he submitted Shane Carwin at UFC 116 to retain the heavyweight title.
Jones, who was expected to take on Alexander Gustafsson this weekend in Las Vegas, tested positive for trace amounts of Turinabol and the Nevada Athletic Commission has refused to sanction the fight. The UFC was forced to switch the location from Las Vegas to California on a week’s notice, and Jones will now rematch ‘The Mauler’ at The Forum in Inglewood. UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson II takes place this Saturday, December 29.