Jon Jones pulls out of UFC 170 title defense
Just one day after it was officially announced that light heavyweight champ Jon Jones would next defend his title at UFC 170 Feb. 22 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White revealed that Jones had pulled out of the bout. The champion is not injured, however, according to White.
"I told you yesterday that Jones will fight on Feb. 22," White told reporters following the UFC 167 press conference Thursday in Las Vegas. "He won't fight Feb. 22. He just pulled out of the fight. He's not fighting Feb. 22."
Jones spoke about fighting Teixeira very recently with SB Nation's Luke Thomas and how daunting the challenge would be. "I'm getting ready to fight this guy from Brazil who's won twenty fights in a row. Who's short and muscular and who finishes fights," Jones said.
White offered no explanation for why Jones will now not fight Teixeira at UFC 170. "He's not injured," White said flatly.
Jones last fought in September, successfully defending his 205 pound title against Alexander Gustafsson via decision after the closest and seemingly hard-fought bout of the 26 year-old champ's career. Gustafsson is set to fight Jimi Manuwa in his next contest March 8 in London, England.
As news develops regarding what's next for Jones and Teixeira, we'll keep you informed. What's your guess as to why Jones won't fight this Feb. if he's not injured?
Let us know in the comments section.
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda
