Brock Lesnar vs. Jon Jones: Why The UFC Heavyweight Fight Could Happen

Jon Jones will face Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 214 Saturday night, but there is already speculation regarding whom the former lightweight champion might face next. Brock Lesnar’s name has come up in recent rumors, and both fighters say they’re willing to make the bout happen.

Jones vs. Lesnar wouldn’t generate the same kind of hype that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are getting, though it would likely make history. As two of the biggest stars in MMA history, a potential heavyweight fight between them would probably set a record for UFC pay-per-view buys.

READ: Brock Lesnar Returning To UFC, Losing His Title At SummerSlam 2017?

What are the chances that the fight will actually happen?

McGregor and Mayweather have proven that any fight can be made if there’s enough money involved. It started with some playful jabs through the media, and a little more than a year later, the fight became official.

There have been no actual discussions involving the two fighters or the UFC, as far as anyone knows, but Jones and Lesnar have gotten the ball rolling. Jones made the first move, saying he’d move up to the heavyweight division for a chance to fight the current WWE Universal Champion.

“He's a massive dude,” Jones said on Facebook Live. “It would be a massive draw, really big for the sport. It would be a great challenge. That's a big old boy. I doubt Brock Lesnar would take that fight, though. I definitely wouldn't try to wrestle with him the whole time. I'm not going to tell you what I would do.”

There have been rumors that Lesnar won't stay with WWE beyond his current contract, though his future in both professional wrestling and MMA is unknown. When asked by The Associated Press for a response, Lesnar didn’t back down from the challenge.

“Would I fight Jon Jones? Anytime, anywhere,” Lesnar said. “Right now he should be worried about D.C. on Saturday night.”

Of course, there are a few hurdles in making the fight a reality, and it couldn’t happen right away.

Lesnar is still under contract with WWE, and he is reportedly signed with the company through WrestleMania 34 in April 2018. WWE did work out a deal to let the former heavyweight champion fight at UFC 200 a year go, though it’s unknown if the wrestling promotion would allow that again.

Shortly after Lesnar beat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision, he was flagged for performance-enhancing drugs and suspended for a year. Because Lesnar formally announced his retirement in February, he still has six months left to serve on that suspension. He wouldn’t be able to fight again until six months after re-entering the USADA drug testing pool, making a fight between Jones and himself seemingly impossible in 2017.

First, Jones must deal with Cormier, who holds the UFC lightweight championship that once sat around his waist. Jones had eight successful title defenses, his last one coming on Jan. 3, 2015 against Cormier. He was eventually stripped of the belt, only fighting once since then because of issues outside of the octagon.

If he’s able to defeat Cormier, and he’s favored to do so, there won’t be anything left for him to accomplish in the 205-pound division. Moving up one weight class and earning the biggest payday of his career can’t be ruled out.