Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane, or Curtis Blaydes? Jon Jones already has line of heavyweight stars waiting to fight him on much-anticipated return in 2023
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Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones and Curtis Blaydes (Image Courtesy - UFC (L), DAZN (C) and SportsIllustrated (R)
Being one of the greatest fighters to ever live, it is only but expected that a Jon Jones fight will draw some excitement. Jon Jones’ expected return at heavyweight is quite another thing.
Jon Jones made his name in the light heavyweight division, running amok through it, and in the process, destroying its legends. He last fought at 205 pounds in March 2020, and since, has been teasing a return at heavyweight. The issue, however, has been finding a suitable opponent.
A month or two back, rumours started flying at the possibility of a Jones and Stipe Miocic fight for UFC 282. That, however, didn’t materialize, and what looks likely is the former taking on current heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. However, there exists yet another caveat – the champion’s fitness.
In light of the doubt over the match-ups, heavyweight top 5 contenders Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane have stepped up to the plate and offered their services to fight the light heavyweight great. Blaydes posted, “Not sure how legit this is but if this fight happens I’ll be ready for 5 rounds of war.” In a similar vein, Ciryl Gane also offered to fight him, tweeting, “March sounds great for the start of #StrapSeason. Ngannou, Jones, Blaydes, I don’t care : it’s anytime, anyone, anywhere.”
Both of the fighters have not fought since September, so a March date could be favourable to the two. If the Jones fight doesn’t work out for either, then they could also potentially take on each other.
Why Jon Jones doesn’t want rush his move to the heavyweight division
The UFC will do its best to book the Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou fight in March, next year. However, if questions over the champion’s fitness persist (he is coming off a long injury lay-off), then Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane could be potential opponents.
However, that doesn’t mean that Jones necessarily needs to fight him. After defeating everyone in his path among the light heavyweights, he has warranted for himself an immediate title shot. In a tweet that he recently put out, he expressed, “What is for me, is for me. I don’t mind waiting” in reply to a fan saying “Cmon Bones time to light up the heavyweight division.”
Hence, it seems unlikely that we will have any match-up for Jones that doesn’t include Francis Ngannou. Stipe Miocic was an option for the American, but the negotiations did not actualize into a mega-fight. Ngannou, however, has on multiple occasions expressed his interest in fighting Jones, so even if fight fans have to wait a little longer for “Bones’” eventual return, it surely will be worth it.
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)