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We could have seen Jon Jones’ latest in light heavyweight.
The undisputed best of 205 pounds in the world over the past decade, “Bones” is on course to make a long-awaited leap into the heavyweight division in 2021 after teasing the move for years. Jones successfully defended the light heavyweight title once last year, winning a close decision over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February, then quashing the title in August amid a public dispute with the UFC on the remuneration of fighters. He later announced his intentions to hunt a second title.
Jones has won 15 UFC championship fights (excluding a third round knockout in his second meeting with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 in July 2017 which was called off to a no-contest when Jones tested positive. for the banned substance turinabol and was then suspended for 15 months) and plans for his next title conquest to be at heavyweight. In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Jones explained that one of the reasons he wanted to change divisions was to give other fighters an opportunity.
“The reason I decided to quit the light heavyweight belt and not hang on to it was because I knew my shift to heavyweight was going to take a very long time,” Jones said. “I didn’t want to be one of those athletes to slow down the division. I feel like I’ve been hanging on to the light heavyweight championship for so long – I’ve ruined so many people’s dreams of being the light heavyweight champion – and now it’s time for someone else to have it.
“I thought it was the right thing for everyone to do. I could have done the selfish thing and stick with it and come up with a bunch of excuses and lie to the fans and say I was going to come down to lightweight and keep all these guys waiting. I didn’t want to do this. I have no plans to return to light heavyweights someday.
With Jones’ exit from the division, the way has been opened for a great fight between recently crowned light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Blachowicz is set to defend his title against Adesanya at UFC 259 in March.
This is probably disappointing news for fans who were hoping that the months Jones and Adesanya spent shooting each other in interviews and on social media would have resulted in a superfight of a different kind, but as it stands. things, the two don’t seem to be headed. for a cage collision. Instead, Jones waits for what he assumes to be an immediate title shot, although he’s not sure if it will be against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic or No.1 contender Francis Ngannou.
There is currently no timeline for when Miocic plans to fight again after settling his own feud with Cormier in 2020 and therefore no timeline for when Jones could have a chance of winning a potential rematch between Miocic-Ngannou. Miocic and Ngannou have publicly welcomed the challenge of welcoming Jones into the heavyweight.
“I’ll be ready for one or the other,” Jones said. “Both fights are extremely difficult. Stipe is the greatest heavyweight of all time. He has all the statistics and all the records to prove it. And then Francis is just a monster when it comes to his KO power, and he’s constantly improving.
“Both fights are huge challenges, but that’s what I’m here for at this point in my career: to go big and see what I have.
Jones told Bleacher Report he feels “alive” in training as he prepares for a career change and reiterated the idea that a heavyweight title is key to cementing his legacy. He said his current plan was to win and defend the belt several times before focusing on humanitarian work.
The fighter for the first time in ages, Jones is already considering what it will be like if he becomes a two-division champion.
“It will be amazing,” Jones said. “Somewhere along the line, getting that light heavyweight championship wrapped around my waist, the excitement and the other emotions that it should have evoked, kind of vanished. It was just another day at the office. This is what we always do. But I haven’t won this heavyweight championship yet. Doing this for my family, and doing this for my team and all the people who have invested in me over the years, will be something new for all of us.
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