Tyson Fury plans to avoid Oleksandr Usyk by fighting Jon Jones in the cage

08 September 2023 , 08:52

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Tyson Fury plans to avoid Oleksandr Usyk by fighting Jon Jones in the cage

Tyson Fury could skip a fight with Oleksandr Usyk altogether by leaving the boxing ring for the cage, where he is keen to face UFC legend Jon Jones.

The world heavyweight champion has already drawn the ire of purists for opting to face lineal UFC champion Francis Ngannou next month instead of Usyk in an undisputed title fight. And he could be set to swap sports altogether afterwards to face Jones in the octagon should he get through the Cameroonian.

Fury and Ngannou went head-to-head for the first time last night at a London press conference, with the Brit insisting that he could happily do a rematch in the cage with his rival. However, he also seems keen to face Jones, who picked up the belt when lineal champion Ngannou vacated it to leave the UFC and pursue other opportunities.

“I told you I’d go in the cage with Ngannou, for sure,” Fury said on the official broadcast ahead of his press conference with Ngannou. “And I would fight Jon Jones also in a cage if the money was right. [The four-ounce gloves] would make me a lot more devastating and it’s something that I’m quite accustomed to.

"Like I said, me and my brother, we’re always wrestling up and down. Loads of us, we’re always punching all of each other. None of us have got any skill like trained for MMA or anything, we’ve all been boxers, but it’s something that we’ve always been involved in. Always. Even in the gym today. We always bring in big lads for wrestling.

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"No heavyweights do that; bring in all the big lads for wrestling? But guess what they’re going to do these heavyweights? They’re going to come in and grab me like this. They’re going to lean on me and when I do it to them they seem to be all f***ed up but when they do it to me I’m like, ‘Haha, been here before! Come on! Get your hips down, get under it."

Ngannou declared Fury signing to face him in a cage fight would be akin to "signing his death certificate" in a scrum after the press conference, and Jones has had a similar take in the past. After the boxer was enraged by a debate in May on the Joe Rogan Experience in which he was warned against a street fight with the MMA fighter, Jones defended the commentator.

"Hey Tyson, it seem like Joe may have struck a nerve," Jones wrote at the time. "I’ll admit there’s no one touching you in that ring right now, but let’s not let that confuse you with what would happen if you stepped foot in my cage. If you ever want to put some of those questions you got going on to rest, give Dana a call. I’ll help you out.

Donagh Corby