Jones: Machida or ‘Rampage’ Next
UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, hinted that his next opponent will now likely be someone other than the previously hyped title match with Rashad Evans. The fight - that was first postponed due to an injury of Jones - seemed to be back in sights when Jones announced he wouldn’t be needing surgery. Now Evans - who will face Phil Davis at UFC 133 - will likely still have to wait for his title shot even if he is victorious over Davis.
“I had to postpone my first title defense against Rashad Evans due to some torn tissues in my thumb,” Jones explained to 1260 the Score in Syracuse. “My last doctor's appointment they told me I should be able to get back to full out training within the next month. I'm excited about that. I'm expected to compete against Lyoto Machida or ‘Rampage’ Jackson in maybe October, mid-October.”
It’s a bit unclear why Evans has been bumped from the primary contender slot. Jones told TopMMANews that even though Evans will not be next in line for a title shot, he will likely get the following crack at the belt after Machida or Jackson, should he beat Davis at UFC 133.
“I don’t even think I’ll be fighting [the winner of Davis-Evans] now,” Jones said. “I had a meeting with Dana and he’s talking about Lyoto or ‘Rampage’ and if Rashad wins decisively, he’ll get the [next] title shot, but I’m in the business of competing against the most elite males in the world in hand-to-hand combat and that’s something I have a lot of pride in. So whoever comes next, when I’m ready, I’ll be ready.”
