Dana White Confirms Jon Jones Will Fight Thiago Santos At UFC 239

Jon Jones will once again enter the octagon in July after it has been confirmed that he will defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Thiago Santos.

UFC president Dana White told ESPN that the 31-year-old American UFC fighter would be putting his strap on the line at UFC 239 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jones, who defended his championship against Anthony Smith at UFC 235 earlier this month, had hinted on social media that he was eyeing up a potential match with Stipe Miocic.

However, ESPN has said that a fight between the 36-year-old Ohio-born fighter and Bones was 'never seriously discussed.'

According to the publication's unnamed sources, Amanda Nunes will put her Bantamweight Championship on the line against Holly Holm.

It is reported that 'verbal agreements are in place for that fight,' which would co-headline the event on 6th July.

Nunes was last in action at UFC 232 back in December, moving up to the featherweight division to take on Cris Cyborg.

The 30-year-old Brazilian UFC fighter took home the Featherweight Championship after defeating Cyborg in a first-round knockout.

While Jones will face Santos in his next fight, the UFC fighter is already looking ahead to the future and would snub a match with rival Daniel Cormier for a chance to take on Brock Lesnar instead.

"I'd take Brock Lesnar because he brings a whole different audience and people have already seen me make DC cry twice already," he said (via MMA Junkie).

"I've got nothing against this guy. Let him have his heavyweight dominance."

Jones also admitted that he could move up to the heavyweight division, but it wouldn't be for the long term, though.

"Everyone is talking about me going to heavyweight, but I don't have any issues with my weight class," he explained.

"You know, my wife's my nutritionist. She knows what I like to eat. She knows how my body reacts to certain foods, so I really don't have any problem making light heavyweight.

"But everyone is trying to push me into this heavyweight, as if it has to happen, you know.

"I think UFC is really good at making things happen that the fans want and I think what they need to do is say, 'Hey, Bones, we've got some cha-ching for you.'

"Conor McGregor's taught me a lesson, man. If you want to see it bad enough, they got the money."

via GIPHY

Who should Jones face out of Cormier or Lesnar after the Santos fight?

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Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Amanda Nunes, Jon Jones, Thiago Santos, Stipe Miocic, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, MMA, Dana White

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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