‘Strong rumors’ suggest Jon Jones, Sergei Pavlovich title fight targeted for UFC 293 in Australia
Former middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger, Chael Sonnen, has claimed that he has heard “strong” rumblings that a fight between undisputed heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, and surging knockout artist, Sergei Pavlovich is currently “pursued” for a UFC 293 pay-per-view card on September 10. in Syndey, Australia.
Sonnen, a former UFC and Bellator contender turned analyst and podcast host, revealed that he had been hearing rumors of a potential heavyweight title fight between Jones and Russian heavyweight knockout ace, Pavlovich for the promotion’s return ‘Down Under’.
Chael Sonnen plays up September clash between Jon Jones and Sergei Pavlovich
Initially Jones was earmarked to return at UFC 295 in November at an annual Madison Square Garden event – taking on the returning former two-time titleholder, Stipe Miocic, however, according to Sonnen, that bout is now “up in flames”.
“I’m hearing strong rumors that Stipe (Miocic) and (Jon) Jones is going to go up in flames and that Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jones is happening in August,” Chael Sonnen told Thiccc Boy. “Strong enough that I can tell you that’s at least being pursued. I don’t know where they are in agreeing, but that’s at least being pursued. And if you did have partners in Australia, you promised them ‘Izzy’ (Israel Adesanya) and you said, ‘Look, I can’t deliver but I can bring you Jones and Pavlovich, are we good?’ They’d probably says, ‘Yeah, we’re good.’”
“I have to give jon Jones credit, I really do and that pains me,” Sonnen explained. “I got to give him credit here because people have said he was going to fight Stipe then he was going to retire. It’s like wll, hold on, people. Let me remind you of one thing. When you talk about the mindset, you talk like Jon Jones doesn’t have the courage, let me just remind you he thought he was fighting Francis (Ngannou), he agreed to fight Stipe, and he ended up in there with Ciryl (Gane).” (Transcribed by MMA Mania)
