Jon Jones respectfully called out by top contender, claims it will be "most amazing fight ever"
Jon Jones has been linked to a bout with Stipe Miocic since winning the UFC heavyweight championship. But that hasn't stopped other contenders from putting put their names in the mix for a future bout.
No.2-ranked UFC heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich did just that as he posted a photo of the two side-by-side on his Twitter account. The surging heavyweight, who is coming off a first-round TKO win over Curtis Blaydes, included a caption that can be interpreted as a respectful callout.
He wrote:
"Just look at that arm span!!! This is going to be the most amazing fight ever. #ufc #imhere"
Just look at that arm span!!! This is going to be the most amazing fight ever. #ufc #imhere https://t.co/yJY2g42JhC
The photo includes an interesting stat about Pavlovich as it pertains to this reach. Jones has the longest reach in the division, but the Russian is not far off. This makes a potential bout very intriguing because of what he's capable of as a striker.
The caption read:
"Fight stat: Sergei Pavlovich has the 2nd longest reach in the UFC history"
It remains to be seen when the heavyweight title bout between 'Bones' and Miocic will be made official, but Pavlovich will certainly be in the discussion as the alternate and likely next challenger.
When will Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic take place?
Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic has been a fight that has been talked about for quite some time.
It seemed as though Miocic was going to be 'Bones' first opponent at heavyweight last year, but the bout didn't materialize. The UFC instead booked 'Bones' vs. Ciryl Gane after former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou declined the promotion's contract offer.
UFC president Dana White recently provided an update on when the fight could be booked. During his UFC Fight Night 223 post-event press conference, White mentioned that the annual November pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden is when the promotion is targeting the heavyweight title fight, saying:
"As far as I know, everything's good and hopefully we have a fight wiht him [Jon Jones] and Stipe [Miocic] very soon...That's where we'd like to do it [Madison Square Garden]."
Dana White says UFC would like to do Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden in New York City 👀 https://t.co/U0bYPFKkQK