Jon Jones believes he has nothing to gain from facing Sergei Pavlovich; ‘No one knows who he is’
Jon Jones believes there is nothing to gain by fighting streaking heavyweight contender Sergei Pavlovich.
After scoring his sixth-straight first-round knockout against Curtis Blaydes last month, fans immediately began clamoring for Pavlovich to get the next heavyweight title opportunity over the inactive and borderline-retired Stipe Miocic. While most fight fans, including Pavlovich himself, have acquiesced to the fact that Stipe Miocic is the next man up, it appears that a matchup pitting reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones and the Russian juggernaut is simply not in the cards.
After Stipe Miocic, It’s Francis Ngannou or Likely Nothing at All for Jon Jones
In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Jon Jones revealed that retirement would likely be his next step following a potential heavyweight title superfight with the division’s general consensus GOAT Stipe Miocic. Bones’ did leave the door cracked open for a return to the Octagon, but it’s going to take either an enticing matchup with former titleholder Francis Ngannou or a truckload of cash.
“Everyone is talking about Sergei Pavlovich. And Sergei is a huge challenge. But no one knows who he is,” Jones said. “In the grand scheme of things, no one knows who he is. I think (US fight analyst) Luke Thomas said it best, saying ‘high risk, very low reward’, where you could fight a guy like Francis Ngannou and get the whole world. It would be worth the risk, worth the money, all of it.
“So who knows? Maybe the UFC will come with the right numbers and we can make this Sergei thing happen. But as of right now, I got all the accolades, nothing to really prove. But Francis would keep me really excited to keep it going.”
With Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic ready to hang up the gloves for good, the likeliest scenario will see Sergei Pavlovich sitting on the sidelines for an opportunity at a title that will likely be vacant by the time he competes for it. Some have suggested a potential clash with two-time title challenger Ciryl Gane is the next match to make for Pavlovich, but it would be an unnecessary risk for the Russian.
Pavlovich is already the next man in line. Why risk taking another fight near the top of the division after already doing more than enough to earn a shot at UFC gold?
