Jon Jones believes “people want to see” him fight Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was recently handed a 15-month suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). This suspension is retroactive to a July, 2017 failed drug test, which means Jones could fight again as soon as early November.

Ahead of his anticipated comeback, Jon Jones seems to have a wealth of options available in the UFC light heavyweight division, from his former opponent Alexander Gustafsson to his arch rival Daniel Cormier. Yet Jones is looking far beyond the division he once ruled.

Speaking to RT Sport this week, the former champion divulged that he’s interested in heavyweight showdowns with UFC stars like Cain Velasquez and Francis Ngannou. In fact, he also mentioned potential battles with heavyweight boxers Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. Jones believes these are the kinds of fights the fans want to see him in.

“I’m kind of in this space now where I feel like I don’t really have things to prove in the cage,” Jon Jones said ( via The Mac Life). “I just knocked out Daniel Cormier in my last fight, and some people consider him to be the best fighter that ever lived, so I don’t really feel like I have that much to prove, as far as being a light heavyweight champion and defending that belt.

“Right now my mindset is more about making money, even those big fights, you know, I watched Conor McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather, and it was high risk, high reward,” Jon Jones continued. “There’s a saying, ‘scared money don’t make money’. I gotta be brave when I get back in the game, and start challenging guys that I could possibly lose to, because that’s what people want to see.

“They want to see Jones versus Velasquez, they want to see Jones versus Ngannou, that’s what people want to see, and that’s where my mindset is – Jones versus Anthony Joshua, or Deontay Wilder, you know, that’s what people want to see.”

Would you be interested in seeing Jon Jones fight heavyweight stars like Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou, Cain Velasquez and Deontay Wilder?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/26/2018.