Jon Jones admits fighting Stipe Miocic would be huge for his legacy, but explains why he isn't very interested
Jon Jones recently spoke to MMA journalist Marc Raimondi backstage at the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony.
'Bones' touched upon several topics in the interview, including his plans to move up a weight class and who he would like to fight in his heavyweight debut. When asked whether a fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic would interest him, the 34-year-old said:
"I'm open to the idea [of fighting Stipe Miocic]. I've fought for so many years, at this point I'm looking to make as much money as I can, if I'm being honest. I do fight for legacy and I do know that beating Stipe would be huge for my legacy. But right now, he doesn't have the belt and he's not the most famous heavyweight. So, I'm looking to just get mainstream America excited about MMA and the heavyweight division and that's kind of where my heart is. I'm in that direction, big mega fights."
Jon Jones also stated that he would like to fight the winner of the likely Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane unification bout. That's because his immediate aim is to capture the division's gold.
"Whether it's Francis or Ciryl, whoever it may be, I just want to be a champion again. Well, heavyweight champion because I'm always a champion, but I just want to be the heavyweight champ and I'll be ready for it. I'm just focusing on me."
Heavyweight Bones sets his sights on 2022 👀 https://t.co/b0RMnEFjnN
Watch the full video of Jon Jones' chat with ESPN's Marc Raimondi below:
Jon Jones was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his first fight against Alexander Gustafsson
On Thursday night, Jon Jones was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his now iconic fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. The fight for the light heavyweight championship ended up being a five-round war. It ended in a razor-close decision victory for 'Bones'.
The two fighters later fought in a rematch at UFC 232. Jones made easy work of 'The Mauler' and finished him in the second round of the fight.