Jon Jones reveals the one way he’d fight Oleksandr Usyk

Jon Jones would welcome a mixed martial arts bout against Oleksandr Usyk but has no interest in a boxing match, the former UFC light heavyweight champion revealed. Usyk recently vacated his IBA, WBC, and WBA heavyweight boxing titles and is exploring potential final opponents, with Jones and Deontay Wilder among those under consideration.

Jones (28-1) explained to Ring Magazine that boxing against Usyk would unfairly restrict his skillset. While he acknowledges Usyk's elite status as a heavyweight boxing champion, Jones argues the Ukrainian is not a complete fighter and expressed confidence in a no-holds-barred encounter. "Not at all interested. Usyk is Usyk, man. He is one of the absolute GOATs of heavyweight boxing. I also am aware that he does wrestling, and wrestling has been a heavy part of his training for many years, probably why he is so dominant in the clinch. If he would like to test his total combat skills, I would oblige him in that. But to handicap myself by only using my hands, that's not the world that I come from," Jones said. "I'm no boxer. And I don't consider Usyk to be a complete fighter. I think the world knows what would happen if we were locked in the same room."

Jones noted that wrestling has long been central to Usyk's training regimen, making an MMA format a natural fit. The American fighter emphasized that stepping into a boxing ring would force him to abandon the diverse combat tools—striking, grappling, and wrestling—that define mixed martial arts. Such a crossover bout would fundamentally change the nature of competition.