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Jon Jones' coach Mike Winkeljohn believes Israel Adesanya's loss at light heavyweight discouraged Jones from moving back into the division. For months, the former UFC light heavyweight champion engaged in trash talk with Adesanya and there were even rumors of a potential fight between the two.
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Winkeljohn claimed that a scarier matchup for Jon Jones would've been fighting current champion Jan Blachowicz. Considering the immense strength Blachowicz has, the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion certainly would've caused trouble for 'Bones'.
Winkeljohn further said that Adesanya's loss to Blachowicz was definitely one of the reasons why Jones didn't move back to light heavyweight. Jones' coach added that it was all about the hype and Adesanya was able to hype things up, with two big names coming together:
"That would be the scarier matchup honestly, with the strength he has. But, yeah, I think so, a little bit. It's all about the hype and you know, it's a show. They're hyping it up and stuff and Israel was able to do that and the coming together of two big names, which sometimes is having to do with the skill level is kind of exciting."
At UFC 259, Adesanya was unable to capture the UFC light heavyweight championship from Blachowicz. In his UFC light heavyweight debut, 'The Last Stylebender' failed to get past the hard-hitting Polish champion.
Jon Jones will seemingly make his UFC return in 2022
Jon Jones' UFC return is reportedly set to take place in 2022. UFC president Dana White has claimed Jones will be back in the octagon next year and won't be fighting in 2021.
In his UFC 265 post-fight press conference, White provided the aforementioned update on Jones. It remains to be seen who the former UFC light heavyweight champion will fight once he steps back into the octagon next year. When he finally does return, Jones will be thrown right into the mix in the heavyweight division.
