Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White admits he wanted Jon Jones to compete this Saturday night (Nov. 3).
Instead, Jones will take on Alexander Gustafsson in a rematch next month. Jones vs. Gustafsson II will be contested for the UFC light heavyweight title. The championship tilt is set to headline UFC 232 on Dec. 29. Once the bout begins, Daniel Cormier will vacate his 205-pound gold.
Dana White & UFC Initially Wanted Jon Jones At MSG
Born in Rochester, NY, Jones would be a no brainer to headline a UFC card in New York City. While Rochester isn’t exactly Manhattan or any of the five boroughs, it’s still in New York State. Things didn’t work out and White appeared on ESPN’s First Take to explain why (via BJPenn.com):
“You know, we wanted him to be on this New York card. It didn’t work out, he wasn’t in shape. He’s in camp right now. I do believe layoffs hurt guys. But, if you look at layoffs and all the things that can be negative to a fighter, how much does it really hurt Jon Jones? He was that much better than everybody else.”
UFC 230’s main event will feature a heavyweight title fight between champion Cormier and Derrick Lewis. The co-main event will see New York’s own Chris Weidman go one-on-one with Jacare Souza. For all the twists and turns the card has had to go through, UFC 230 didn’t turn out so bad barring any last-minute mishaps at tomorrow’s weigh-ins.
Do you think it’s better that Jon Jones waited for UFC 232 to compete?
