"Cain vs. Jon Jones??" - UFC star hyped as Dana White promises "love letter" to Mexican combat sports history for Independence Day event

Dana White reaffirmed his conviction to host a mega event at the Sphere without divulging any details. Reacting to White's statement, rising UFC star Chase Hooper speculated if the Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez matchup was finally coming to fruition.

The UFC’s Mexican Independence Day event in 2023 was considered a commercial success. The promotion intends to make the 2024 version bigger and host it at the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. The newly opened venue has garnered a lot of praise for its use of state-of-the-art technology and the unique experience.

During a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Dana White reiterated his stance on honoring Mexican Independence Day with a mega event at The Sphere and showered praise on the fighting talent the country has produced.

He said:

“We’re going in there [The Sphere] during the Mexican Independence Day and I’m going to put on the greatest event anybody’s ever seen. It’s going to be this huge love letter to all of combat and combat sports throughout the history of Mexico. Some of the baddest dudes that have ever walked the face of this earth have been Mexican. On Mexican Independence Day, I’m going to deliver the craziest show anybody’s ever seen.”

Watch the UFC boss make the statement below (5:50):

MMA journalist Marc Raimondi posted White’s quote on his X handle and UFC lightweight Chase Hooper reacted to it. He wrote:

“CAIN VS JON JONES IN THE SPHERE CONFIRMED??”

Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was one of the first Mexican-origin superstars in the promotion. Velasquez and Jon Jones ruled their respective divisions simultaneously in the early 2010s.

Along with Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre and Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis, a potential clash between Velasquez and Jones was considered among the best super fights of the era. However, none of the fights came to fruition.

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Dana White went against naysayers’ opinions on hosting UFC event at The Sphere

Dana White said that his decision to put on a major sporting event at The Sphere was highly doubted by many people when he first announced it. The UFC Boss decided to go ahead with the decision anyway. Speaking about the negative voices, White said:

“After they did the show and they started looking at it, they’re like, ‘Ah, it’s cool for concerts but you can’t do live events there.’ I love to hear that!”

Dana White added that the venue has a lot more to offer in terms of experience to the spectators and promised to deliver the biggest sporting event in history in the form of Noche UFC.