WWE News: Jon Jones responds to Brock Lesnar's challenge

What’s the story?

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones has responded to WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar's recent challenge, showing a willingness to fight the Beast Incarnate once his UFC 214 title bout with bitter rival Daniel "DC" Cormier is out the way.

In case you didn’t know…

Jones, considered one of the best MMA fighters on the planet when active, is returning to the Octagon to face Cormier after serving out his suspension stemming from a drug-related incident.

Lesnar too knows a thing or two about violating anti-doping policies, having dipped into his illegal stash before his last MMA fight with Mark Hunt. The failed drug test earned him a one-year ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, following which he officially retired from the sport and returned to WWE.

However, rumour has it that he is contemplating returning to the UFC again, a notion he added fuel to recently by saying: "Would I fight Jon Jones? Anytime, anywhere," although he immediately added: "Right now he should be worried about D.C. on Saturday night.”

The heart of the matter

Never the one to back down from a challenge, Jones appears to have accepted Lesnar's challenge during a recent UFC press conference, saying: "I’ll handle DC first, then I’ll handle Brock."

What’s next?

Even though Jones dominated Cormier in their first fight and earned a win by unanimous, it would be a folly for him to look past this Saturday's rematch. Cormier, and not Lesnar, should be the only thing on his mind right now.

As far as Lesnar is concerned, he is currently contracted to the WWE until at least WrestleMania 34, meaning any potential bout with Jones will have to wait quite some time. Besides the contractual restrictions, Lesnar also has to serve the remainder of his one-year ban, which froze when he retired and took himself out of USADA's drug testing pool.

But above everything else, Jones and Lesnar fight in different divisions, with the former a natural Light Heavyweight and Lesnar a Heavyweight powerhouse. Neither has fought in the other one's division but if a fight has to happen, Jones will have to be the one moving up a weight class.

Author’s take

This mooted matchup looks like a waste of time. There are so many obstacles standing in the way of this bout that it's fair to assume it will never happen. This was just two fighters speaking their minds on some hypothetical scenarios, which some took very literally. This fight is unlikely to be ever made.

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