Jon Jones confirms he’s received contract for fight in Houston

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has received a contract for a fight in Houston, Texas on February 8.

This Houston card has not yet been made official, but it’s expected to be called UFC 247 — assuming the January 18 card linked to Conor McGregor’s comeback fight is UFC 246. Jones’ opponent is widely believed to be undefeated contender Dominick Reyes, but the bout is not yet official.

Jones confirmed his receipt of his next fight contract while interacting with a fan on Twitter on Thursday.

The contract is just sitting in my email, waiting to be printed and signed. Thanks for protecting our soil brother. https://t.co/vSUbOsJTFO

— BONY (@JonnyBones) November 22, 2019

“The contract is just sitting in my email, waiting to be printed and signed,” Jones said.

Over the last few weeks, Jones has been vocal about his desire to fight Reyes next, instead of Reyes’s fellow contender Corey Anderson. Suffice it to say that if he’s fighting anybody else in Houston, it’d come as a real shock.

Jon Jones has not fought since July, when he defeated Thiago Santos with a narrow, split decision to defend his title. Prior to that, he defended his title with a decision win over Anthony Smith. In his next most recent bout, he defeated his long-time rival Alexander Gustafsson by TKO to capture the vacant light heavyweight belt — which he only ever lost due to his issues outside the cage.

Dominick Reyes, on the other hand, is riding high on an impressive, first-round knockout victory over former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. In his next most recent fight, he picked up a controversial split decision victory over former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.

This February 8 card in Houston is also expected to include a women’s flyweight title fight between champion Valentina Shevchenko and challenger Katlyn Chookagian. It will also include a heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Ilir Latifi. Stay tuned for more details on this card as details emerge.

Do you think Jon Jones will retain his light heavyweight title in Houston this February?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/22/2019.