Oleksandr Usyk wants Jon Jones to be his final opponent—but the UFC legend has flatly rejected the request.
A potential crossover fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Jon Jones will likely not take place. After the Ukrainian named the former UFC champion as his preferred opponent for his farewell fight, Jones has now made it unmistakably clear that he has no interest in a boxing match. “No, I’m not interested in that at all,” Jones explained in an interview. “Usyk is one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. But limiting myself to just my fists doesn’t fit the world I come from.”
Although the 39-year-old emphasized his respect for Usyk, he also made it clear that a comparison would only make sense under MMA rules. “If he wants to test his full range of fighting skills, I’d be up for it. But not in the boxing ring. He should respect me in the cage just as much as I respect him in the ring.” He left open the question of whether Jones will ever fight again. Although the former UFC champion remains in the organization’s doping testing pool, he is currently most fulfilled by his role as coach to the up-and-coming heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson. “I’m happy. Being a coach satisfies my hunger for competition.”
Jones also spoke about his relationship with UFC President Dana White. Despite public disagreements in recent months, he said there is no hard feelings. “When it comes to big business, you can’t hold onto personal grudges. Dana changed my life, and for that I will always respect him.”
Text by Robin Josten