By Matt Molgaard
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

If you’re one of the many hoping to see two title holders in separate divisions collide, you’re not likely to see it happen between light heavyweight champ Jon “Bones” Jones and middleweight kingpin, Anderson “The Spider” Silva. In the past, both men have expressed their thoughts on the bout, and neither seem all too keen to risk their legacies against one another.

Bones recently spoke with Max Kellerman on ESPN Radio LA's show “Max and Marcellus”, and he once more made his stance very clear.

"It's not that he won't fight me or I won't fight him. To be dead honest, it's that we both have a lot to lose and we both respect each other a lot and we both are striving for personal greatness. I don't want to crack on his greatness and I don't want him cracking on my greatness."

I wouldn’t label that fear, as many naysayers are already leaping to do, in fact, at this point, I might call that wisdom. And, let’s not forget, while there is money to be made by this fight, there’s also money to potentially be lost, as Jon points out.

"We're in completely different weight classes. We both have sponsor deals and things that are really important to us and a big part of that sponsorship package is being a winning—being a champion. Having us fight each other means one of our championships goes away."

Money aside, there seems to be a mutual respect between the two that also serves as a massive barrier, "I respect Anderson Silva so much that I don't want to be the guy to beat him. I don't want to lose to him either. It's a lose-lose situation for me."

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