Jon Jones is keen to get Khamzat Chimaev on board as a training partner.
Chimaev continued his unbeaten streak and claimed the UFC middleweight title after beating Dricus Du Plessis last weekend.
At UFC 319 Chimaev dominated Du Plessis in the Octagon, so much so that he broke the UFC record for control time.
He banked an impressive 21 minutes and 40 seconds of ground possession, across his 25 minute fight with the South African.
Even before his incredible display, the lead up to Chimaev’s first title fight had brought a lot of attention to ‘Borz’.
The UFC’s newly crowned middleweight king even received praise on his character from Jones.
In a post on Jones’ Instagram story, the former UFC heavyweight champion said: “Real recognising real, hope to train with him some time.”
Jones is widely regarded as the greatest fighter of all time, with an established professional MMA record of 28-1.
Following the 38-year-old’s retirement announcement in June, US President, Donald Trump, announced his plans to host a UFC event at the White House.
Dana White had initially stated that a heavyweight clash between Jones and Tom Aspinall would be his dream headline for the historic event.
The announcement prompted Jones to re-enter the promotion’s drug testing pool, as an attempt of making it clear that he wants in on the card.
Although, the UFC CEO has since stated that he would trust Conor McGregor over Jones as a headliner.
Despite White’s recent comments, Jones remains confident that he can secure a spot on the UFC White House.
What has been announced about the UFC White House event so far?
White has confirmed that it will be held on the South Lawn of the President’s residence.
Both Jones and McGregor have explicitly expressed their interest in featuring on the card.
But, White is in the process of matchmaking for the event but has stated that as it stands he doesn’t intend to reveal his plans until 2026.
He is sitting down over the next few weeks with Trump and his wife, Ivanka, to finalise negotiations, so updates are expected to drop within due course.