The big pay-per-view event looming on the UFC calendar is UFC 197 on April 23rd.
Headline fight: Cormier vs Jones 2.
By time the fight comes around, it will have been nearly 16 months since Jon Jones last stepped into the Octagon. In that bout, which happened in January of last year, Jones defended his light heavyweight belt against Daniel Cormier.
Four months later, Jones became the first UFC champion to be stripped of his title for disciplinary reasons.
Cormier subsequently claimed the vacant belt when he beat Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson at UFC 187.
Jones is odds-on favourite to reclaim his belt against Cormier. Those odds may even shorten given the latest comments from Dana White.
According to the UFC president, previously Jones was not taking MMA seriously. Now, he is.
Keep in mind that this is a man who has only ever lost one fight in his pro-MMA career - and that was because of disqualification. He is also currently ranked number one on the UFC's pound for pound list.
What's fascinating about Jon Jones right now is if you look at what this guy was doing in the past and how hardcore he's training now -- it's almost scary. The guy who's never taken it serious is literally taking it serious now. What's the new Jon Jones going to be like now?
He is in his prime right now -- his physical fighting prime. He's never been more serious than he is right now. It's a scary combination.
Cormier has been a good champion. His defence against Alexander Gustafsson was one of the best fights of 2015. But when Dana White is bigging up the 37-year-old's abilities as a broadcaster, while speaking about the Jones fight, you have to think Cormier's chances of victory are slim in White's estimation.
If DC came out and beat this Jon Jones it would just be unbelievable. The thing is with a guy like Cormier, he’s been working so hard for so long and he’s such a good guy and such a talent. Not just in fighting and wrestling, but he’s an unbelievable on-air talent, too. A win over Jon Jones would be the biggest thing that’s ever happened to him.
