Dana White hinted at the possibility of Jon Jones getting an interim heavyweight title fight if reigning champion Francis Ngannou moves to the sidelines following his knee surgery this Friday.
The UFC light heavyweight champion has been preparing to move up to heavyweight for the last year. If Ngannou will need to sit out for a year to recover from the surgery, the heavyweight division will have to move on without him as suggested by UFC president Dana White.
In a recent interview with ESPN, White said that Jones could have an interim title fight lined up for his heavyweight debut if Ngannou is sidelined for a while.
“I haven’t thought about it at all, but yeah, it sounds like something we would do,” White said.
“Not until we know what Francis is gonna do or what’s gonna happen, but if that’s the case, if he ends up sitting out for a year, Jon could come right in and fight for a title.” (transcribed by MMA Junkie)
Should Dana White give the interim heavyweight title fight to Jon Jones?
While it seems like an innocuous decision, Dana White still needs to figure out a solution to retain his heavyweight champion. Ngannou and the UFC have been in a highly-publicized contract dispute where the ‘The Predator’ fought out of his current deal without signing a new one.
His championship defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 resulted in an extension based on the championship clause. White is confident that he can get his heavyweight champion to agree to a new deal. If he is to stay out of competition for a while, an interim title fight could be the next move to decide Ngannou’s next opponent if he re-signs with the organization.
