Jon Jones has prioritized coronavirus safety over MMA as he dubbed the crisis “bigger than sports.”

The light heavyweight champion last fought in February when he defended his title against surging contender, Dominick Reyes. The fighters collided in the main event of UFC 247 in a five-round war. Jones ultimately won by unanimous decision, but the closely contested bout raised many eyebrows and criticism that Reyes should have won.

Jones and his team, JacksonWinkMMA remained confident in his victory but assured Dominick Reyes that a rematch is in the works.

“He said I shocked him,” Reyes said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “He didn’t really expect that from me. And he thanked me for making him a better martial artist. He said, ‘our rematch is gonna be epic.’”

Dana White has also confirmed that Reyes deserves a rematch:

“I think he (deserves a rematch). You’d be crazy not to think he deserves a rematch,” White said about Reyes to TMZ Sports.

However, the coronavirus could delay the anticipated matchup. ONE Championship has changed a handful of cards to closed-door events. Other promotions like KSW, BKFC and ARES Fighting Championship have postponed events. Dana White has also confirmed that the UFC is ready to ride the COVID-19 storm, and cards such as UFC Columbus and UFC Portland have been moved. As such, a major question mark hangs over a possible Jon Jones vs Dominick Reyes rematch.

On Twitter, a fan asked the light heavyweight champion what’s taking him so long to rematch Reyes.

Jones delivered a very telling response.

I could give two shits about fighting right now, this is bigger than sports https://t.co/4XQf6XHXe0

— BONY (@JonnyBones) March 13, 2020

“I could give two sh*ts about fighting right now, this is bigger than sports.”

What do you make of the coronavirus outbreak and the impact it is having on the world of sports?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/12/2020.