UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour on Monday, and he certainly had an interesting piece of news for anyone who was watching.
"Bones" told UFC president Dana White, as well as UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, that he would like to fight a top-10 heavyweight if he were to get past 205-pound contenders Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
"I actually asked Dana and Lorenzo, could I take a fight for the fans at the end of 2012," Jones told Helwani.
"I figured beating Henderson and Rashad, there would be a period where we'd figure out who I'm going to fight next, and during that period, at the end of 2012, I asked to fight a heavyweight—a top-10 heavyweight."
However, the UFC higher brass were not a fan of the idea.
"Dana and Lorenzo didn't think that was the best for me to do right now," Jones stated. "They wanted me to continue at the light heavyweight division. ... They said they didn't want that for me."
This will undoubtedly lead to speculation about how much difficulty Jones is having making the 205-pound light heavyweight limit.
Whatever the case may be, Jones is coming off a stellar 2011 campaign that showcased wins over Ryan Bader, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.
The victories are even more impressive considering that Jones finished each opponent by either TKO or submission.
Next on the docket for the 24-year-old New York native is former Greg Jackson MMA training partner and friend Rashad Evans.
The two will clash at UFC 145, set to take place on April 21st in Atlanta, Ga.
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