Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar are two of the biggest names in combat sports. Some will scoff at the latter, but he is a former UFC heavyweight champion and is also more recognizable than any current active UFC fighter other than Conor McGregor (who is pretending to be retired anyway).
Lesnar’s contract with WWE has ended and he is now a free agent. Every time he tests free agency the UFC enters the picture. Of course, at the age of 43, the chances of him actually taking an MMA fight again are very slim. His last bout was in 2016. He defeated Mark Hunt, but a positive sample resulted in the commission overturning the win.
But now Dana White says that he is interested in making a fight happen. He told TMZ that he is ready for Jones v Lesnar if both men are interested. This is because Jones will move up to heavyweight for his next fight. It is between Jones and Francis Ngannou for a shot at Stipe Miocic’s title.
Win Streak
Ngannou’s impressive run of knockout wins looked to have earned him a second shot at Stipe Miocic’s title. However, then Jones entered the picture. At the end of the day, if he wants to jump the queue, you’ve got to feel that he will. After 13 successful title defenses at light-heavyweight, you could argue that it’s the fight to make.
But if the UFC remains determined for Ngannou to fight Miocic, then a Lesnar clash might not be a bad fallback for Jones. He would surely be a huge favorite against the 43-year-old. While Lesnar is massive, he is also old and limited in his technical fighting capacity. The game has moved on a long way since he fought Shane Carwin.
Money Fight
Furthermore, the financial rewards of taking on Lesnar would be huge. He’s a household name in the United States and would attract massive casual interest. In 2018, Lesnar faced off with former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, after the latter defeated Miocic. But that fight never materialized because he couldn’t agree on terms with the UFC.
Realistically, this fight is very unlikely. Why would Lesnar want to risk his health against the most dominant UFC champion of all time? It would take him six months to get through the USADA testing policies which would also give Jones enough time to bulk up. In sum, it’s just not a good idea at all.
Realistic
Finally, it looks like Jones will get his title shot. The main question is will the UFC allow Miocic to sit out for the rest of the year, or will they force him to fight Ngannou before 2021? That is the only scenario where Ngannou will jump ahead of Jones because the latter wants enough time to be physically ready.
At the very least, the next few heavyweight title fights will be very interesting. By moving up a division, Jones has reignited the competition within two separate weight classes. Now imagine if Miocic knocked him out in the first round.
