Chris Weidman wants to fight Jon Jones before calling it a career

Chris Weidman pounds Vitor Belfort during their middleweight mixed martial arts bout at UFC 187. AP FILE PHOTO

If there’s a match UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman badly wants before calling it a career, it’s against former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

“I know for a fact, I’m not leaving this sport without fighting Jon,” Weidman told MMA Hour. “That’s nothing against Jon. It’s just because I’m a competitor. I want to fight the best possible people. I want to have the biggest challenges in front of me and conquer them.”

The undefeated Weidman, who has 13 victories across his name, said that he wants to square off with someone who will challenge him.

“That’s why I wanted to fight Anderson Silva when nobody else wanted to fight him. I want the biggest challenges. I want to beat people who people think I can’t beat. And Jon is definitely going to be one of those guys.”

Jones, a New Yorker like Weidman, was stripped off his belt after he was found guilty for a hit-and-run accident last April.

Though Jones’ recent struggles has kept him away from the UFC, Weidman hopes that he can right the ship and make a return to the Octagon.

“Unless he’s not coming back at all, (maybe it won’t happen). But if he’s there, and I’m here, people are going to want to see it happen. And I want to see it happen,” he said.

“He’s an amazing athlete and he’s accomplished so much. So I hope he gets his stuff together and he comes back.” CFC