Brock Lesnar Vs. Jon Jones Projected To Break UFC Pay-Per-View Buys Record
On Saturday at UFC 214, Jon Jones returned from a year long suspension and defeated his rival, Daniel Cormier, to regain the UFC light heavyweight title. Mere moments after winning the biggest fight of his career, Jones was already planting seeds for an even bigger one, a superfight against current WWE Universal Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.
At the end of his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, “Bones” grabbed the mic and called out the retired “Beast Incarnate,” playing into rumors that the two would someday meet inside the cage.
“Brock Lesnar! If you want to know what it feels like to get your a** kicked by a guy who weighs 40 pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon.”
It did not take long for Lesnar to respond to the newly crowned light heavyweight king. According to The Associated Press, the WWE star’s reply was direct and powerful, much like his approach inside the cage.
“Be careful what you wish for, young man.”
Rumors of the potential fight spread like wildfire, after Jones held an interactive chat on the UFC’s Facebook page. During the session, a fan asked if he would ever be interested in fighting the retired heavyweight. Quickly Jones responded with a yes, acknowledging the huge amount of exposure MMA would receive from such a spectacle and the large sum of money he stood to gain as well.
Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter also fueled the fire by implying that the UFC was eyeing a fight between the two in 2018.
https://twitter.com/jeremybotter/status/888093849620549632
By Botter’s own admission, there are more than a few obstacles in the way of this fight coming to fruition. Lesnar would have to re-enter himself into USADA’s drug screening system, then serve the rest of his doping suspension from July of last year. However, considering that the UFC’s new owners, WME-IMG, are focusing solely on increasing their profits, one has to believe they are doing all they can to turn this dream match into a reality.
Although this fight may seem like a longshot now, if they can pull it off, Bleacher Report’s Chad Dundas firmly believes it could be the biggest fight in MMA history. And with UFC president Dana White still struggling to prove the UFC is worth the $4 billion that WME-IMG paid for it, it should comes as no surprise if this fight starts getting even more of push behind it.
[Featured Image by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images]
