Thiago Santosis taking on the champ…

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will make his next title defense against the 35-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist at UFC 239 on July 6 in Las Vegas, according to UFC president Dana White.

The 205-pound bout will headline the pay-per-view event, which will take place at T-Mobile Arena. Additional sources confirmed bout agreements haven’t been signed, but all parties have verbally agreed to the fight.

Jones (24-1) teased fans with a public challenge of former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocicon social media on Wednesday, but that matchup was never seriously discussed, per sources. 

Jones is coming off a dominant title defense against Anthony Smith at UFC 235. The Santos bout will mark his third appearance in seven months.Santos (21-6), of Rio de Janeiro, is a former middleweight who has surged to title contention behind light heavyweight victories over Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz.