CHICAGO – It's a question Jon Jones has heard many times before. But Friday, he put perhaps his biggest public timeframe on it.
And that is, when is his all-but-inevitable move to heavyweight?
His answer? It might be sooner than everyone thinks – perhaps even within the calendar year.
Long shot? Maybe. And there still are challenges ahead at 205 pounds for him. But Jones still was quick to answer with a possible time table.
"I think heavyweight is going to come along around 2014 – maybe even late this year," the UFC light heavyweight champion on Friday told a question-and-answer crowd. "Who knows. It'll definitely be a fight for the fans."
Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) took part in a fan Q&A at the Chicago Theatre prior to the official weigh-ins for UFC on FOX 6, which takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago. The champ has been on a PR push promoting the current 17th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which airs Tuesday nights on FX.
Jones coaches opposite Chael Sonnen (27-12-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC), and the two are scheduled to fight for the title at UFC 159 on April 27 in Newark, N.J.
After Sonnen, there are contenders in the mix at light heavyweight. Dan Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Lyoto Machida (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) next month at UFC 157, and UFC President Dana White on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) if Henderson wins, he'll be next in line.
But if Machida wins, the UFC boss said the company may take a look at the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 8 in Sweden – Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
Jones said he'll also be keeping his eye on some of the recent Strikeforce imports at light heavyweight – and said former champ Gegard Mousasi is the 205er he believes is most impressive of those crossovers.
Jones was quick with his Mousasi answer, despite a crowd that seemed to be pro-Daniel Cormier, Strikeforce's unbeaten heavyweight grand prix champion. Cormier has called Jones out in regard to a possible drop to light heavyweight to go after the title after he fights Frank Mir in April in his UFC debut.
But Jones said a fight with Cormier would have to take place at light heavyweight, not Cormier's heavyweight class.
"(Cormier) is going to have to come and get me," Jones said. "He talked all that trash – I'm going to make him cut that weight."
A move to heavyweight would mean Jones would eliminate a weight cut to 205, one notch in his favor. But as for who he'd want to fight if or when he moves up, since apparently Cormier is off the table, he'd welcome a bout with former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem.
"I would love to face (Overeem)," he said. "I would fight anybody, any time. I'm just a lot smaller than those guys (at heavyweight). I know that it would be a major challenge to fight one of those guys being the size I am right now."
For now, though, it doesn't appear as if Jones is thinking much past Sonnen, keeping the heavyweight timetable a goal, but certainly nothing definitive.
"Chael's a great fighter," Jones said. "He's been a WEC champion and a top contender for many years. I respect him a lot and I'm training really hard."
CHICAGO – It's a question Jon Jones has heard many times before. But Friday, he put perhaps his biggest public timeframe on it.
And that is, when is his all-but-inevitable move to heavyweight?
His answer? It might be sooner than everyone thinks – perhaps even within the calendar year.
Long shot? Maybe. And there still are challenges ahead at 205 pounds for him. But Jones still was quick to answer with a possible time table.
"I think heavyweight is going to come along around 2014 – maybe even late this year," the UFC light heavyweight champion on Friday told a question-and-answer crowd. "Who knows. It'll definitely be a fight for the fans."
Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) took part in a fan Q&A at the Chicago Theatre prior to the official weigh-ins for UFC on FOX 6, which takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago. The champ has been on a PR push promoting the current 17th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which airs Tuesday nights on FX.
Jones coaches opposite Chael Sonnen (27-12-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC), and the two are scheduled to fight for the title at UFC 159 on April 27 in Newark, N.J.
After Sonnen, there are contenders in the mix at light heavyweight. Dan Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Lyoto Machida (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) next month at UFC 157, and UFC President Dana White on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) if Henderson wins, he'll be next in line.
But if Machida wins, the UFC boss said the company may take a look at the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 8 in Sweden – Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
Jones said he'll also be keeping his eye on some of the recent Strikeforce imports at light heavyweight – and said former champ Gegard Mousasi is the 205er he believes is most impressive of those crossovers.
Jones was quick with his Mousasi answer, despite a crowd that seemed to be pro-Daniel Cormier, Strikeforce's unbeaten heavyweight grand prix champion. Cormier has called Jones out in regard to a possible drop to light heavyweight to go after the title after he fights Frank Mir in April in his UFC debut.
But Jones said a fight with Cormier would have to take place at light heavyweight, not Cormier's heavyweight class.
"(Cormier) is going to have to come and get me," Jones said. "He talked all that trash – I'm going to make him cut that weight."
A move to heavyweight would mean Jones would eliminate a weight cut to 205, one notch in his favor. But as for who he'd want to fight if or when he moves up, since apparently Cormier is off the table, he'd welcome a bout with former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem.
"I would love to face (Overeem)," he said. "I would fight anybody, any time. I'm just a lot smaller than those guys (at heavyweight). I know that it would be a major challenge to fight one of those guys being the size I am right now."
For now, though, it doesn't appear as if Jones is thinking much past Sonnen, keeping the heavyweight timetable a goal, but certainly nothing definitive.
"Chael's a great fighter," Jones said. "He's been a WEC champion and a top contender for many years. I respect him a lot and I'm training really hard."
And that is, when is his all-but-inevitable move to heavyweight?
His answer? It might be sooner than everyone thinks – perhaps even within the calendar year.
Long shot? Maybe. And there still are challenges ahead at 205 pounds for him. But Jones still was quick to answer with a possible time table.
"I think heavyweight is going to come along around 2014 – maybe even late this year," the UFC light heavyweight champion on Friday told a question-and-answer crowd. "Who knows. It'll definitely be a fight for the fans."
Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) took part in a fan Q&A at the Chicago Theatre prior to the official weigh-ins for UFC on FOX 6, which takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago. The champ has been on a PR push promoting the current 17th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which airs Tuesday nights on FX.
Jones coaches opposite Chael Sonnen (27-12-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC), and the two are scheduled to fight for the title at UFC 159 on April 27 in Newark, N.J.
After Sonnen, there are contenders in the mix at light heavyweight. Dan Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Lyoto Machida (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) next month at UFC 157, and UFC President Dana White on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) if Henderson wins, he'll be next in line.
But if Machida wins, the UFC boss said the company may take a look at the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 8 in Sweden – Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
Jones said he'll also be keeping his eye on some of the recent Strikeforce imports at light heavyweight – and said former champ Gegard Mousasi is the 205er he believes is most impressive of those crossovers.
Jones was quick with his Mousasi answer, despite a crowd that seemed to be pro-Daniel Cormier, Strikeforce's unbeaten heavyweight grand prix champion. Cormier has called Jones out in regard to a possible drop to light heavyweight to go after the title after he fights Frank Mir in April in his UFC debut.
But Jones said a fight with Cormier would have to take place at light heavyweight, not Cormier's heavyweight class.
"(Cormier) is going to have to come and get me," Jones said. "He talked all that trash – I'm going to make him cut that weight."
A move to heavyweight would mean Jones would eliminate a weight cut to 205, one notch in his favor. But as for who he'd want to fight if or when he moves up, since apparently Cormier is off the table, he'd welcome a bout with former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem.
"I would love to face (Overeem)," he said. "I would fight anybody, any time. I'm just a lot smaller than those guys (at heavyweight). I know that it would be a major challenge to fight one of those guys being the size I am right now."
For now, though, it doesn't appear as if Jones is thinking much past Sonnen, keeping the heavyweight timetable a goal, but certainly nothing definitive.
"Chael's a great fighter," Jones said. "He's been a WEC champion and a top contender for many years. I respect him a lot and I'm training really hard."
CHICAGO – It's a question Jon Jones has heard many times before. But Friday, he put perhaps his biggest public timeframe on it.
And that is, when is his all-but-inevitable move to heavyweight?
His answer? It might be sooner than everyone thinks – perhaps even within the calendar year.
Long shot? Maybe. And there still are challenges ahead at 205 pounds for him. But Jones still was quick to answer with a possible time table.
"I think heavyweight is going to come along around 2014 – maybe even late this year," the UFC light heavyweight champion on Friday told a question-and-answer crowd. "Who knows. It'll definitely be a fight for the fans."
Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) took part in a fan Q&A at the Chicago Theatre prior to the official weigh-ins for UFC on FOX 6, which takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago. The champ has been on a PR push promoting the current 17th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which airs Tuesday nights on FX.
Jones coaches opposite Chael Sonnen (27-12-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC), and the two are scheduled to fight for the title at UFC 159 on April 27 in Newark, N.J.
After Sonnen, there are contenders in the mix at light heavyweight. Dan Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Lyoto Machida (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) next month at UFC 157, and UFC President Dana White on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) if Henderson wins, he'll be next in line.
But if Machida wins, the UFC boss said the company may take a look at the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 8 in Sweden – Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
Jones said he'll also be keeping his eye on some of the recent Strikeforce imports at light heavyweight – and said former champ Gegard Mousasi is the 205er he believes is most impressive of those crossovers.
Jones was quick with his Mousasi answer, despite a crowd that seemed to be pro-Daniel Cormier, Strikeforce's unbeaten heavyweight grand prix champion. Cormier has called Jones out in regard to a possible drop to light heavyweight to go after the title after he fights Frank Mir in April in his UFC debut.
But Jones said a fight with Cormier would have to take place at light heavyweight, not Cormier's heavyweight class.
"(Cormier) is going to have to come and get me," Jones said. "He talked all that trash – I'm going to make him cut that weight."
A move to heavyweight would mean Jones would eliminate a weight cut to 205, one notch in his favor. But as for who he'd want to fight if or when he moves up, since apparently Cormier is off the table, he'd welcome a bout with former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem.
"I would love to face (Overeem)," he said. "I would fight anybody, any time. I'm just a lot smaller than those guys (at heavyweight). I know that it would be a major challenge to fight one of those guys being the size I am right now."
For now, though, it doesn't appear as if Jones is thinking much past Sonnen, keeping the heavyweight timetable a goal, but certainly nothing definitive.
"Chael's a great fighter," Jones said. "He's been a WEC champion and a top contender for many years. I respect him a lot and I'm training really hard."
...idiots over there can't tell the difference between being tall and just overall size and mass. But if he can manage to pack on a good muscular 240, maybe but I don't see him getting too massive.
