Jon Jones: I’m not saying Silva fight can’t happen
With the speculation of Anderson Silva‘s next bout at an all-time high, Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones has appeared to have taken a different stance from his previous denial of ever fighting Silva. Similar to the time when he vowed to never fight former training partner and mentor Rashad Evans, Jones has made somewhat of a switch with his words today, something he has regrettably become known for:
“I respect [Silva] a lot. As I said several times, I do not want to be the guy who beat Anderson, and do not want to be the guy who lost to him. Anderson is a great champion, I’m a great champion. We both…I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m not saying that the fight will not happen. It can happen. But it’s not something I’m chasing.” via BloodyElbow.com
So Jones is already singing a different tune, recovering from the brutal armbar of Vitor Belfort that has him on the shelf nursing an elbow injury. He is set to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter versus Chael Sonnen, and the two will meet in a highly publicized April 27th title fight. But beyond that, assuming Jones wins as the massive favorite, fans will be absolutely clamoring for the superfight. And of course Dana White will be all for it, with potentially the largest payout in MMA history available for the taking. Sure, it’s all speculation at this point, and Jones closed by saying:
“I don’t believe that I need to fight with Anderson to be the best in the world.”
Best in the world, perhaps not, but best ever? Probably.
