Dana White gives timeframe for the return of Jon Jones

Though Jon Jones stands out as one of the best mixed martial artists ever, he’s had an undeniably rough few years. His recent career has been marred by everything from cocaine use to a hit-and-run involving a pregnant woman.

Earlier this year, of course, it looked like a matured Jones might finally be getting his life back on track. Though it was far from his best performance, he made a successful return to action, defeating late-replacement Ovince St. Preux to win the UFC interim light heavyweight title. With this win in the books, Jones was then pencilled in for a title unifying rematch with Daniel Cormier, who has been sitting on the divisional throne in his stead. The two were expected to share the main event honors of the landmark UFC 200 in July.

Unfortunately, Jones was yanked from this massively anticipated showdown just days before it was supposed to happen when it was announced that he had failed an out-of-competition drug test. Though he and his manager Malki Kawa denied any wrongdoing, this incident was enough to shatter any hope that the light heavyweight great was ready to get back on track. He was handed a one-year suspension for this incident.

Luckily for Jones and his fans, he’ll have another opportunity to get back on track in the not too distant future, as UFC President Dana White gave a timeframe for his comeback on the most recent episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast.

“I don’t know how this whole thing’s going to play out, but he’ll definitely be back this summer,” the UFC President told host Matt Serra. “He’ll be back this summer.” 

So there it is. While White also assured he’ll never let Jon Jones headline a pay-per-view again, we at least have a sense of when the light heavyweight legend will be back in the cage.

Who would you like to see Jones fight when he returns to action? Should he get an immediate light heavyweight title shot, or would you prefer to see him take a different fight?