Dana White open to Anthony Johnson vs. Jon Jones title eliminator

Anthony Johnson thought his 13-second knockout of Glover Teixeira in the UFC 202 co-main event got him another shot at light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.

But his boss, UFC President Dana White, isn’t quite so sure yet.

White, on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast with Matt Serra and Jim Norton, said Johnson (22-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) might not be ticketed for a rematch with Cormier (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) after beating Teixeira (25-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC). Instead, White said he’s considering Johnson against interim champ Jon Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC).

“I’m in a weird place,” White said on the show. “We saw that fight, and it was a great fight. I’ve still got to talk to (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva and see what he thinks. But I’m thinking maybe we do Anthony Johnson vs. Jon Jones to see who gets to fight Daniel Cormier.”

But that fight would almost certainly be contingent on how soon Jones will be back to work after potential anti-doping violations stemming from his main-event booking against Cormier at UFC 200 in July. Jones was pulled from that fight just days before.

Jones is currently under temporary suspension from USADA and the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Neither USADA nor the NSAC have had any recent updates on Jones’ situation, though other fighters have received shortened suspensions when arguing their failed tests were the result of tainted supplements.

White also reiterated that Jones could be back soon – but wouldn’t divulge details.

“I haven’t talked to Jon, but the guy’s got 13 lives,” White said. “It’s looking good for him. I think he’s got to deal with (the) Nevada (State Athletic Commission) right now and this thing that went down. I can’t say a lot about it because it’s not my place. We’ll see how this thing plays out, but it’s looking good for him.”

Johnson took out Teixeira in bonus-winning fashion this past Saturday. Afterward, “Rumble” said he thought the knockout solidified his shot at champ Cormier, who submitted him to win the 205-pound title at UFC 187 after the UFC stripped Jones of the title.

Cormier is the only man to defeat Johnson since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in April 2014. A rematch has long been on Johnson’s mind, he said, and if his title shot does in fact materialize, he has little worry the result would be the same.

“I’m just looking forward to it again; this is something that I’ve wanted for a long time,” Johnson said after UFC 202. “I only want to compete against the best, and so far since I’ve been back in the UFC, that’s what I’ve been doing. This is my second chance at a title, so I really want to go out and I want to dominate. Daniel, be said that when we’re in the cage it’s Daniel time, which is fine. It can be Daniel time. But at the end of the night, it’s going to be my time.

Johnson said he believes Jones’ issues won’t be cleared up before he would expect to fight Cormier, though, and for that reason he’s not worried about losing out on his chance to avenge his loss and capture UFC gold.

But White at least implied nothing is set in stone for anyone yet.

Category: Mixed Martial Arts