Jon Jones reveals 'I have a date' for UFC return, verbal agreement in place

05/05/2024 16:00

Jon Jones is nearly ready to fight again.

Following a devastating torn pectoral muscle that cancelled his expected showdown with Stipe Miocic back in November 2023, the reigning heavyweight champion announced he has a date booked for his UFC return, but he's allowing the promotion to make it official.

"I have a date," Jones revealed on Twitter. "I'll let boss man Dana [White] announce that."

Jones added that the fight itself is also nearly a done deal, but no contracts have been issued yet so there's no guarantee until the ink is dry on those bout agreements.

"Nope [can't announce anything yet], as right now it's just a verbal agreement," Jones wrote.

While he didn't mention an opponent, all signs are pointing toward the fight with Miocic being rebooked for some time later this year. Jones was adamant about Miocic as his next opponent as he seeks to take out arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.

In recent days, Jones has hinted at potential fights against everybody from reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira to interim heavyweight king Tom Aspinall, with no mention of Miocic in sight. Of course, that doesn't mean Jones has moved on from that fight, but he's certainly stoked some intriguing flames of late.

As of now, the UFC already has pay-per-view cards planned through the summer, with UFC 303 headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler on June 29, and then UFC 304 traveling on July 27 to Manchester, England.

Following that event, UFC 305 lands in Perth, Australia on Aug. 17, with plans to then celebrate Mexican Independence Day at The Sphere in Las Vegas in September for UFC 306.

It's highly doubtful Jones fights internationally in either England or Australia given his star power in the United States. Unless the UFC decides to put him on the September card, there's a good chance Jones' return won't happen until the latter part of 2024.

UFC plans a yearly event in Madison Square Garden in New York in November, which is where Jones vs. Miocic was originally supposed to happen in 2023. There's also the year-end card in December, which is usually another blockbuster affair for the promotion.

For now, let the speculation begin as Jones continues to tease his return since dispatching Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes to become heavyweight champion back at UFC 285.