Dana White: Jones won't fight at light heavyweight forever, but now not time for superfights

The UFC’s most sizable champs have their hands full and won’t be fighting each other any time soon, according to UFC President Dana White.

At a Tuesday press conference announcing the UFC’s first event in Mexico and “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America,” White didn’t rule out the possibility of light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones at some point squaring off with heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez. But, he added, the stars aren’t yet aligned for such a scenario.

“Right now, Cain Velasquez has to fight (Fabricio) Werdum,” said White, referring to the headliner between the champ and contender that headlines UFC 180 in Mexico City. “Jon Jones has (Alexander) Gustafsson, possibly (Daniel) Cormier if he wins that fight (against Dan Henderson) – he’s got a lot of guys lined up still.

“The other thing is, Jon Jones is 26 years old. As he continues to get older, he will have a harder and harder time making 205 (pounds), which would eventually probably force him up to heavyweight. It’s not the time for a Cain versus Jon Jones superfight.”

Two months ago, Jones (20-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), who at this past Saturday’s UFC 172 defended his belt against Glover Teixeira (22-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC), contemplated moving up in weight to meet Velasquez (13-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC), who is sidelined with a shoulder injury but expected to heal in time to meet Werdum (18-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) for UFC 180, which takes place Nov. 15 in Mexico City.

Then, in the buildup to his fight with Teixeira, Jones jettisoned the idea of fighting in the big-man division and said he had plenty of challenges at light heavyweight, namely a rematch with Gustafsson (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) expected for later this year. The two fought this past September with Gustafsson giving Jones a run for his money before losing a decision.

And yet, talk of superfights always makes for good copy and a little free PR. It also gets fans talking, whether it be in support of a matchup or in adamant opposition. Jones already has experience as the object of a potential matchup.

This past summer, fans buzzed about a potential meeting between “Bones” and now-ex middleweight champion Anderson Silva. White stoked the flames of interest, telling reporters that if Silva were able to beat Chris Weidman at UFC 162, there would be no barrier to pairing him with Jones or St-Pierre for a blockbuster event.

Then, Silva was knocked out, and superfight talk went away. Briefly.

Even before that, fans wanted “The Spider” to fight the semi-retired Georges St-Pierre while he was still dominant in the welterweight division. Eventually, St-Pierre’s lack of interest quashed the subject.

While many obstacles can and do get in the way of superfights, the UFC managed to pair St-Pierre with now-former lightweight champion B.J. Penn in January 2009 at UFC 94. In a one-sided drubbing, St-Pierre made Penn quit on the stool between the fourth and fifth round.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Jon Jones)