Returning Jon Jones could halt Gable Steveson’s plan to fight for UFC title in 2027 — ‘That’s my friend!’

Returning Jon Jones could halt Gable Steveson’s plan to fight for UFC title in 2027 — ‘That’s my friend!’

Jesse Holland is among the longest-tenured media professionals in the combat sports news space, covering MMA, professional wrestling and boxing on a full-time basis since early 2004.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has expressed interest in making another run at the 265-pound strap now that Tom Aspinall has vacated the title to focus on his health. But that might interfere with Gable Steveson’s own plans to pursue heavyweight gold, something he expects to happen “next year.”

Steveson is only 26, so I guess he’s willing to wait for the 39-year-old Jones to make one last run.

“I think it’ll be amazing if Jon came back and took the title and made sure he can still be a dominant champion that we all believe he can (be) and he will,” Steveson told MMA Junkie. “It’s really going to be up to him. If me and him ever came into the spot where me and him would have to compete against each other, that would never happen because we already have the say-so not to do. That’s my friend, my coach, my partner. That wouldn’t be a possibility between us.”

Refusing to fight a friend or training partner is a very “bad idea,” according to UFC CEO Dana White.

“Everyone knows how I feel about this s—t,” White said when Merab Dvalishvili refused to fight Aljamain Sterling back in 2023. “I hate it. Why did you even get into this sport? If that’s your mentality and the way that you think: ‘I don’t want the title, I don’t want the championship, we’re friends, we’re this, we’re that.’ This is not about friendship. This is about finding out who the best in the world is, and if you don’t want to find out who the best in the world is, this is not the place for you. You should be somewhere else.”

Steveson (4-0) will first have to defeat Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles before he can focus on fighting for the heavyweight title. In addition, we still don’t know what the promotion has planned for Ciryl Gane, who could rematch Alex Pereira later this year for the undisputed heavyweight strap.

To see who else is fighting at UFC 331 click here.

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