Jon Jones Declined UFC 300 Fight, Says He Wouldn't Have Been Ready in Time

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones recently turned down an offer to fight in the main event at UFC 300.

Appearing on Submission Radio, Jones revealed he declined the offer presented from UFC lawyer Hunter Campbell to fight on the show because he wouldn't have had enough time to properly train.

Jones went on to say things are moving "in a really positive direction for me to continue my career" with a bout against Stipe Miocic on the horizon when he's ready to get back in the octagon. He also left the door open for a bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall.

While UFC 100 and 200 saw the company seem to go all out in terms of star power to make the biggest fight card possible, the response to the UFC 300 card has been pretty tepid.

A long-awaited showdown between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler seemed for awhile like it was going to headline the card.

The fight was originally planned for last year when both men were coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, but issues with McGregor and the United States Anti-Doping Agency testing pool prevented it from happening.

McGregor removed himself from the USADA testing pool after suffering his leg injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. He re-entered the pool on Oct. 8, 2023, but USADA rules require returning fighters to spend six months in the testing pool and return two negative tests before they are allowed to compete.

UFC announced in October it was parting ways with USADA, effective on Jan. 1, 2024. It was assumed by USADA the decision was made because UFC wanted to circumvent the rules to get McGregor back in the octagon as soon as possible.

McGregor announced on Dec. 31 he was returning as part of the international fight week show that he said would take place on June 29. UFC president Dana White said this week there "is no date" for the bout, but "hopefully" it happens in the fall.

Jones hasn't fought since beating Ciryl Gane to win the heavyweight title in his debut at that weight class at UFC 285. He was scheduled to defend the championship against Miocic in the main event of UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden, but a torn pectoral tendon suffered in training forced him to withdraw from the event.

UFC also pulled Miocic off the card to save the clash between the two superstars for a later date. Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 295 for the interim heavyweight crown.

The fact Jones was even approached to fight at UFC 300 is a good indication he's getting close to returning from the injury.

UFC 300 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13. It hasn't been confirmed which bout will headline the show, but it would seem to come down to the women's strawweight title fight between Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan or Justin Gaethje defending the BMF crown against Max Holloway.