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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been teasing a move up to heavyweight for almost a decade now, and it finally seemed to be coming to fruition before a pay dispute put his plans on hold.
After having changed his management and been vocal about the issue on Twitter, 'Bones' has admitted that he may not be seen in the octagon during this calendar year. With his standoff against the UFC higher-ups showing no sign of abating, the possibility that Jon Jones may never compete in the promotion again is becoming more likely by the day.
However, the UFC needs the youngest champion in promotion history to return, just as much as Jon Jones needs the organization to further his MMA career. Here are three reasons why.
#3 The departure of several legends has left the UFC without a GOAT contender
This might not seem like a major reason behind the UFC needing Jon Jones to return, but would they not want the honor of having one of the greatest fighters the sport of MMA has ever seen competing under their banner?
Khabib Nurmagomedove is well into retirement and doesn't seem willing to be enticed into a comeback. Anderson Silva has left the UFC and probably MMA on the whole, and is focusing on putting on boxing exhibitions.
Rumors of a Georges St-Pierre return never seem to die down, but with 'The Eagle' retired and GSP himself now on the wrong side of 40, that doesn't seem likely either. Demetrious Johnson appears to have taken to ONE's system of friendly weight cuts and has probably fought his last UFC fight already.
Jon Jones is on a quest to establish himself as the greatest fighter of all time, and arguably already is. A move up to heavyweight would, according to most, put his legacy higher than the other great fighters who've graced the sport.
If 'Bones' never steps foot in the octagon again, the UFC would be without a GOAT contender competing in the promotion for the first time in several years. Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya are well on their way to GOAT status, but they probably won't get there in the immediate future.
#2 Francis Ngannou and the UFC heavyweight division will face their biggest challenge in Jon Jones
The UFC heavyweight division is never short of entertainment or high-octane match-ups, but it would go to a different level altogether if Jon Jones joins the fray.
A man who has achieved everything there is to achieve at light heavyweight, Jones has proved to be many steps ahead of the rest and doesn't really have many exciting contests in store for him at 205 lbs.
The case is the same for Francis Ngannou, who has run through the division like a knife slicing through butter. He has already exacted his revenge over former champion Stipe Miocic in violent fashion and could do the same to Derrick Lewis when the two face off later this year.
For Ngannou, who has been vocal about a potential fight materializing, Jon Jones will be his biggest test yet. Not only for Ngannou, but also for Lewis, Miocic or whoever is sat atop the UFC heavyweight throne.
Jon Jones at heavyweight would mean some of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC - fights that fans would give an arm to witness.
#1 Love him or hate him, Jon Jones is must-watch
Jon Jones may not be a top draw in the UFC, with his highest PPV buy rate of 860,000 (Daniel Cormier 2) falling well short of the promotion record of 2.4 million (Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov). But for ardent followers of the sport, he is must-watch.
Jones is a polarizing personality, with his run-ins with the law and doping agencies well-documented. But those controversies have only added to his following in the UFC, giving fans a reason to enjoy his victories even more and his haters to tune in hoping for a defeat.
Irrespective of whether he moves up to heavyweight, and irrespective of who stands opposite him when the opening bell sounds, Jon Jones puts on fights that cannot be missed. Even though his last few outings in the octagon have been far from convincing, the 33-year-old will undoubtedly command a big audience - even if his PPV numbers don't justify the pay hike he is rumored to be asking for.
