"He'll always have my support" - Jon Jones heaps praises on Conor McGregor ahead of potential return against Michael Chandler"
UFC's newest heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, is excited to see former UFC double champion Conor McGregor back in action as he has not fought since 2021 after a string of losses at the hands of Dustin Poirier.
Mcgregor was slated to make his return to the octagon this year after starring in the Ultimate Fighter as a coach for a second time. He would face Michael Chandler, his opposition coach, in the finale of the show.
However, an extended saga with the USADA and his clearance has led to a delay in any further announcement on the bout.
In an appearance on the OverDogs podcast, Jones mentioned that he was keen to see 'The Notorious' fight again. He praised him for helping the game progress and validated his status as the biggest draw in the history of the game.
“I would love to see McGregor come back. He will always get my pay-per-view buy. I love what he did for the sport, I love the businessman that he is, the mindset, the marketability. I mean, he fast forwarded this whole game up at least ten years, and he'll always have my support. He will always get my pay-per-view buy.”
Check out his comment below:
Jon Jones draws comparison between Conor McGregor and Sean O'Malley
Jon Jones sees a lot of Conor McGregor's qualities in the newly crowned bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley.
O'Malley bested Aljamain Sterling in his first ever title fight by knocking him out in the second round. 'Bones' placed stock in the narrative that 'Sugar' brings to the table and appreciated his well-rounded fighting ability.
Jon Jones also spoke about O'Malley's potential for longevity and said:
“Sean O’Malley. I’m excited about him, he has the look. He reminds me a lot of McGregor. He’s really raw and authentic, he has that kind of rags-to-riches story that everyone appreciates, especially in this country. I like him a lot and I really want to see how far he can take it. He’s young enough still to where he can take those leaps and bounds in his game. He’s going to be around for a long time."
He continued:
"To beat up Aljamain like that... O’Malley, he’s looking like the total package. I’m going to be tuning into his pay-per-views for the next couple of years.”
Check out Jones' full comments on the OverDogs podcast below on YouTube [47:00 onwards]: