5 potential main events for UFC 230

#4 Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

A rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson would be fantastic

If the UFC are simply unable to put together a title fight for UFC 230, the next best thing would be to put together a fight involving one of their biggest stars right now who currently doesn’t hold a title – former Light-Heavyweight champ Jon Jones.

The one drawback, of course, is Jones’ ongoing issues with USADA – he tested positive for the banned substance turanibol after his 2017 fight with Daniel Cormier – but Jones’ manager Malki Kawa has recently suggested a resolution to allow Jones to return could be reached soon.

The maximum penalty that Jones could face from USADA would be a four-year ban, but realistically, given his defense of a “tainted supplement”, that probably isn’t going to happen and the likelihood is that Jones will be reinstated as he’s been out for over a year anyway. And with the number of rumours swirling around Jones’ imminent return, would anyone truly bet against it?

If Jones were to return at MSG, the best opponent for him – barring a sudden move to Heavyweight – would probably be former foe Alexander Gustafsson, who Jones defeated in 2013. ‘The Mauler’ pushed Jones harder than any other opponent and some fans felt the Swede actually deserved the win. A rematch has been talked about plenty of times but never materialised, but it’d definitely be a fight worthy of headlining UFC 230.