Dana White News: Jon Jones Could Have Been The LeBron James Of The Sport, Says UFC Boss
What's the story?
President of the UFC, Dana White, recently confessed to FOX Sports 1's 'Undisputed' that Jon Jones could very well have been the 'LeBron of the sport.' Jones is scheduled to fight Alexander Gustafsson in what will be one of the biggest championship title fights to happen this year.
The pair will lock horns in the main event of UFC 232 that is set to play out at The Forum, in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, on December 29th, 2018.
In case you didn't know..
After serving a 15-month suspension from the sport, former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, received a green flag to enter the Octagon once again, for the UFC's last pay-per-view event of the year. Jones has had legal issues throughout his career, making him one of the most controversial superstars in the sport of mixed martial arts.
In a recent drug sample collected from Jones earlier this month, the ex 205-pound champion was found to have tested positive for Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone (DHCMT), or Turinabol, that was speculated to be present in his system.
Recent findings from the test, however, suggested that the remnants of the illegal substance were, in fact, from previous ingestion.
The heart of the matter
During a recent appearance on a FOX Sports 1 show, 'Undisputed,' UFC president, Dana White, told interviewers that Jon Jones was on the road to being considered the 'LeBron of the sport.' White said:
“Probably the greatest to ever do it. Had he stayed on track and done all the right things in his life and in his career God knows what this guy could have accomplished. He could be the LeBron of the sport. Could be the heavyweight champion of the world and the light heavyweight champion of the world.”
Dana also went on to say that Jones has been the hardest athlete to deal with in the UFC, considering the legal ramifications faced by him in the past. Jones continues to be one of the biggest pay-per-view draws for the UFC and is expected to bring in a large number of fans for his upcoming UFC 232 championship bout against Alexander Gustafsson.
“Jon Jones right now is the story of what could he have been. If this guy can win on Saturday night, try to pull his life together, and try to put together a nice little run here with the time that he has left — as a professional athlete you never know how long that is — he could go down as the greatest ever.”
What's next?
UFC 232 is expected to take centre stage at The Forum, in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, in what will be one of UFC's biggest extravaganzas this year.
Former light heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, recently relinquished his title ahead of the UFC 232 main event title fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, paving the way for the UFC to welcome its new champion come Saturday night.
Any early predictions for UFC 232's stacked fight card? Be sure to leave them in the comments section below!