UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was offered a chance to fight in April at the company’s milestone event.
As of now, the UFC 300 card is far from complete. Fights such as Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway and Zhilei Zhang vs. Yan Xiaonan have been added. However, a lot of fans have been waiting for a big draw to potentially fight on the milestone event, like what’s happened with previous historic events.
One name that some fans hoped to see is the return of Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ has been on the sidelines since a submission win over Ciryl Gane last March at UFC 285. Later in the year, Jones suffered a torn pec, forcing him to undergo surgery. In the process, missing out on a title defense against Stipe Miocic.
While some might’ve hoped to see Jon Jones make a fast turnaround after surgery, that won’t be happening. On X earlier this week, the heavyweight champion revealed that he was offered the chance to fight at UFC 300. While he didn’t name the opponent, it was likely the aforementioned Miocic.
Unfortunately for fans, the heavyweight title won’t be defended in April. On X, Jon Jones added that he was forced to turn the fight down. He, as well as the UFC likely knew that he wouldn’t be prepared. However, they wanted to give him the offer and check just in case.
Jon Jones reveals that he was offered the chance to fight at UFC 300 in April
“I was actually called and offered to fight on the event.” Jon Jones revealed on X earlier this week, referring to a potential UFC 300 return. “The guys said they just wanted to give me the option. We both knew I wouldn’t be ready. My relationship with UFC is better now than it’s ever been.”
Jon Jones’s last tidbit about his relationship with the UFC is interesting. Earlier this month, private text messages from Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were released, thanks to the company’s ongoing antitrust lawsuit. In the private conversation, they referred to Jones as a “punk” and a “scumbag”, among other insults.
However, it seems that Jon Jones wasn’t shaken by the incident. Instead, he responded to Daniel Cormier earlier this week instead. ‘DC’ stated that the text messages were understandable, given his rival’s status as a bad employee. Jones later slammed Cormier for the remarks.
Regardless, it seems that the company will have to find a way to manage without Jon Jones in April. In recent days, Dana White revealed that not only will ‘Bones’ not return, but neither will names such as Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, or Georges St-Pierre. With that in mind, it seems that the milestone event will be forced to rely on their current stable of talent.
What do you make of these comments from Jon Jones? Are you excited for UFC 300? Who do you want to see added to the April event?
