Nearly six years ago during a press conference in New York, Cain Velasquez and Jon Jones faced off for fans and reporters after questions were asked about the two champions meeting in a potential super fight.
Unfortunately the matchup never happened but as Velasquez prepares for his return to action on Sunday night, he’s once again hearing Jones’ name as a possible opponent.
Jones is now the light heavyweight champion once again and he hasn’t shut down a move to heavyweight at some point in his future. Meanwhile, Velasquez faces Francis Ngannou in the main event on the first ever UFC on ESPN card and a win would almost certainly put the former champion back in the hunt for the heavyweight title.
While it may not be the fight that either of them will seek out in the near future, there still seems to be interest in a clash between Velasquez and Jones down the road.
Add to that, Velasquez has been a part of several training camps to help his close friend and teammate Daniel Cormier prepare for Jones in the past so he’s very familiar with what the longest reigning light heavyweight champion in UFC history has to offer as an opponent.
“That’s why I’m in this sport to fight the best guys and to be the best out there,” Velasquez told TMZ when asked about potentially facing Jones. “To me it’s just go out there, perform and win and just take on the best guys.”
Now Velasquez will never be considered a trash talker much less as a prolific speaker when it comes to expressing himself before stepping into the cage.
Instead, Velasquez says everything needed once he straps on the gloves and goes to war inside the Octagon where he’s a multi-time UFC champion while still being considered one of the best heavyweights in the history of the sport.
That’s why he is so confident that he would be the person to finally crack the code on beating Jones, who has gone through his entire career largely untouched without a single legitimate loss on his resume.
“I think I could [beat him]. I think I’m good enough,” Velasquez said. “Jon Jones, he’s an amazing athlete. I’ve watched him in all of his fights, I know what he’s capable of.
“Again, every guy poses a great challenge, I think he does as well but I think I could beat him, yeah.”
First things first, Velasquez has to get through a heavy-handed knockout artist in Ngannou this Sunday night and Jones has his own test at UFC 235 when he faces Anthony Smith in the main event on March 2 in Las Vegas.
