Chael Sonnen explains why UFC's history with Jon Jones may be causing delay in his comeback - "You've got a problem"
Despite teasing a heavyweight return, Jon Jones has not fought in nearly three years. Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen shared his thoughts on the issues delaying the return of UFC's greatest light heavyweight champion of all time.
My goal, my dream is to have my first heavyweight title fight look like my first light heavyweight title fight. Pure domination
Speaking on his Beyond the Fight podcast, Sonnen shared that Jones' history in negotiating with the UFC may be delaying his UFC return. He noted that Jones' inability to honor past contracts has hindered the UFC's trust in him:
"If you have a four fight deal and you've got a history of wanting to come in after fight number two, turn the gun back on the organization, you've got a problem. How do you get around that?"
Sonnen stated that Jones and the UFC could get around the potential problem if the promotion used him as a bargaining chip to get Francis Ngannou back under contract. He noted that while it may not be the UFC's intention, it could offer a solution. 'The Bad Guy' expressed curiosity at what the promotion should do with Jones if Ngannou is unwilling to return.
Sonnen added that having Jones face Stipe Miocic would be the logical solution as it would be a great fight with a potential heavyweight title on the line. However, he questioned the matchup and added:
"What else is going to come from that? There are many promoters that play checkers and they will go all-in for one night. You have other promoters that play chess and every move has to set up another move. So, if you do Jon Jones versus Stipe, what do you do next?"
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Jon Jones' UFC return below:
Brendan Schaub shares his thoughts on Jon Jones' return
With 'Bones' targeting UFC 282 for his return, Brendan Schaub shared that the UFC prefers Francis Ngannou as his opponent over Stipe Miocic:
"Jon-Stipe is their second choice. Their first choice is Jon-Francis and they're hoping Francis re-signs and is able to fight in January or February."
Although Jon Jones is among the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, it's arguable that the UFC has not seemed to prioritize him throughout his career. This could be due to the controversy surrounding Jones. However, with Jones looking to return, it appears that the UFC is willing to give him a title fight in his heavyweight debut. 'Bones' had tweeted, hinting at potentially making his return at UFC 282, but there has been no update regarding the same since.
🏾UFC 282 🙏🏾