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After more than a year away from the octagon, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones remains on the shelf right now. If he returns, it’s unlikely that it’ll be at 205lbs.
Is the UFC’s light-heavyweight division suffering from the loss of Jon Jones, or is it a more exciting place without the longtime champion?
It’s an interesting question, but the truth is that despite Jones’ star power and drawing ability, the UFC’s light heavyweight division now feels fresher than ever without him at the top.
With this in mind, here are five reasons why the UFC light heavyweight division is better off without Jon Jones.
#5. Fighters who had lost to Jon Jones previously are now back in contention
Jon Jones was a dominant champion for the better part of an entire decade. So, it's only natural that he has beaten most of the top contenders in the division.
The early part of Jon Jones' UFC light heavyweight title reign saw him destroy aging veterans who are no longer in the promotion, such as Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida. This trend was beginning to change in more recent years.
Jones' last few wins have come over Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes. These three fighters are still very relevant to the division today.
Were Jones still holding the UFC light heavyweight title, it's doubtful that any of those three fighters could've gotten another shot against him. Reyes' bout against 'Bones' was close, but 'The Devestator' has since lost to Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka.
Now that he's gone, anyone who previously lost to Jones is again a viable contender provided they can win enough fights.
A great example of this is Glover Teixeira. He lost to Jon Jones back in 2014 and then slipped into a gatekeeper role. But with Jan Blachowicz now holding the UFC light heavyweight title instead of Jones, the Brazilian's five-fight winning streak has earned him another title shot.
The fact that previous victims of Jones are now possible title contenders again means that the division should be hugely re-energized. There are now more viable challengers than during the reign of 'Bones.' That makes the UFC's 205-lbs division a more exciting place.
#4. Jon Jones appeared to have become disinterested with the division in recent years
When Jon Jones first cut a swath through the UFC's light heavyweight division, he did so in style. 'Bones' didn't just defeat his opponents; he absolutely dominated them, usually finishing them off in violent fashion.
The likes of Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Chael Sonnen and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua were all finished by Jones. Of his first 12 UFC wins, just three went the distance.
However, that hasn't been the same in recent years. Since 2014, Jones has finished just two opponents – Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson. The result of the Cormier fight was eventually overturned due to a positive drug test from 'Bones.'
There's no shame in going the distance with the likes of Cormier and Glover Teixeira, but Jones' more recent fights showed a more worrying trend.
His victories over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos appeared to show a fighter who was largely coasting. Jones seemed content with doing just enough to hold onto his title without really unleashing the entirety of his arsenal.
This approach almost backfired on him in his most recent win over Dominick Reyes. Many fans felt the decision should've gone the way of 'The Devastator.'
Some fans have suggested that Jones’ questionable recent form has been caused by either wear-and-tear or a lack of PEDs.
However, it’s equally possible that ‘Bones’ had simply become disinterested with fighting contenders at 205lbs. This seems even more likely given his clear intent to move to heavyweight. If that’s the case, then the division would only have stagnated with a disinterested champion – meaning it’s now better off without him.
#3. Jan Blachowicz feels like a less secure champion than Jon Jones did
When Jon Jones vacated his light heavyweight title in 2020, most fans expected Dominick Reyes to claim the vacant crown. Instead, though, Jan Blachowicz stunned everyone by knocking out Reyes to become an unlikely UFC champion.
Since then, Blachowicz has defended his title once, making history in the process by becoming the only man to defeat current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
‘The Prince of Cieszyn’ is clearly a world-class fighter operating at the peak of his powers right now. Blachowicz has crazy knockout power in his hands and excellent technical striking skills. He also has an underrated and improving ground game.
However, it’s also safe to say that with respect, the Polish fighter is not as good as Jon Jones, nor is he ever likely to be.
While he’s a deserving champion at the minute, his title reign feels far less secure than Jones’ ever did. It was tricky to pick against Jones in a title fight regardless of his opponent. But several fighters in the light heavyweight division could believably beat Blachowicz.
While it’s always cool to watch a dominant champion at work, particularly if they’re capable of putting on virtuoso performances, there’s definitely something to be said for having more jeopardy at the top of the division.
Jan Blachowicz may well hold the UFC light heavyweight title for several years, but the chances of him being as dominant as Jon Jones seem slim – meaning the division is a much more interesting place.
#2. The division finally has some interesting young prospects coming through – but could they really beat Jon Jones?
Just a handful of years ago, the UFC’s light heavyweight division felt like the land of dinosaurs. Underneath the champion Jon Jones, aging fighters such as Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Alexander Gustafsson, Daniel Cormier and Glover Teixeira still sat near the top of the mountain.
Even some of the so-called prospects breaking through at the time – names like Jimi Manuwa and Thiago Santos – were already over 30 years old. The division appeared to have a bleak future.
That’s not the case now. Suddenly, we’ve seen a considerable surge of fascinating prospects hit the UFC’s 205-lbs division. Jiri Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic are the most exciting propositions. Fighters like Ryan Spann, Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker have also shown great potential.
Of course, it’d be asinine to suggest that the presence of Jon Jones could affect the number of prospects coming through in a division. But it is fair to question how far these fighters could’ve gone if he were still active there.
For however good as they are and may become, it’s unlikely that fighters like Prochazka and Ankalaev would stand a chance against Jones. Instead, they may well have stagnated like Dominick Reyes seemingly has.
Without Jones, though, these prospects should have room to develop. They will not be rushed into a potentially premature title shot due to Jones dominating everyone else. That makes the division more interesting than it’s been for years.
#1. Seeing Jon Jones dominate the division had become dull
The biggest reason that the UFC’s light heavyweight division is better without Jon Jones is that it had become incredibly dull to see ‘Bones’ dominating all comers.
Jones wasn’t the UFC’s first dominant champion, of course. The likes of Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre were equally as dominant as him in their respective divisions. In fact, when considering Jones’ various suspensions, their title reigns actually lasted longer.
However, while Silva and St-Pierre became huge fan favorites during their UFC careers, the same can’t really be said for Jones.
For many fans, ‘Bones’ had become more of a villainous character. Jon Jones' multiple failed drug tests and personal issues became a cause of concern. His questionable behavior on social media was polarizing as well.
Naturally, nobody wants to see a villain come out on top constantly. This is what was largely happening in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Jones may not have been toppled by a rising fan favorite, but with him now gone from the division, it feels like UFC fans can finally become invested in it again.
That makes it a much fresher and more intriguing division than it has been in a long, long time.
