After the cancellation of UFC 151, and a possible fight at UFC 152, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones apparently is warming up to the idea of a fight with former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. Even if the brash middleweight doesn’t deserve it, the champ said.
“The more I realize how bad the fans want to see me fight Sonnen the more I am beginning to disregard whether he deserves it or not,” Jones recently tweeted. “A part of me wants to do it for the fans. The other part of me feels as if it delegitimizes the importance of (the) championship.”
Jones wanted to take a fight with Chael Sonnen on eight days’ notice following an injury to original opponent Dan Henderson. Dana White and UFC officials ultimately canceled the Sept. 1 show being the first UFC event ever canceled. UFC 152 officials instead matched Jones up against Lyoto Machida who declined the fight. Vitor Belfort stepped up to face the champ at UFC 152 where he had the edge in the first round before being submitted in the fourth round.
Sonnen has made it very clear that he thinks the champ is ducking him, while others believe Sonnen hasn’t done anything to earn a title shot at Jones. Since the UFC 151 cancellation, Sonnen hasn’t missed an opportunity to call out Jones, even though he’s currently scheduled to fight light heavyweight Forrest Griffin at UFC 155 in December. Knowing Chael Sonnen, it didn’t take him long to respond to the champs tweet.
“You don’t GIVE. I TAKE,” he tweeted. “Remembah that, Bonesie-Boy.”
Fans still want to see this fight take place, and now it looks like Jones isn’t the only one changing his mind. UFC President Dana White himself recently mentioned the possibility of the fight, knowing even if Sonnen hasn’t earned the shot yet, that it will sell.
“I can tell you right now, I think they both want that fight,” White said. “I think there are other fights that make more sense. (But) people do want to see it. If enough people want to see it, I guess I’d have to make it.”
White always supports his fans and gives them what they want. So, if Sonnen dismantles Forrest, as I’m sure the UFC hopes he does, we could see a Jones versus Sonnen fight sooner than later.