All fans hope that Jon Jones will fight soon, and we all want to know who his next opponent will be. The former light heavyweight champion announced his intention to compete in the heavyweight division by moving forward and opened some mouth-watering matches in the process. While Jones and his new advisor, Richard Schaefer, are discussing a deal with the UFC, let’s take a look at a few of the fighters Jones might have next.
Francis Ngannou
The fight Jon Jones and pretty much everyone else in the world of MMA wants next is with the UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou. ‘Bones’ has proved as much with his posts on social media over the last few months. The question is will we get this epic fight anytime soon?
Jon Jones clearly wants the fight. Ngannou clearly wants the fight. So, you’d assume the answer to the above question would be yes. Unfortunately, things aren’t always that simple. A financial deal for the fight appears to be unreachable at this moment in time. UFC president, Dana White has frequently talked up Derrick Lewis as the next man in line for a shot at Ngannou. Stipe Miocic is already being line up for the winner of that match-up which is expected to take place this summer in Houston, Texas.
At the moment, it appears we could be waiting a long time to see Jones and Ngannou standing across the Octagon from each other. We are optimists though and believe things can change super quickly in MMA. So, don’t be surprised if we get this fight in the near future despite all the negativity surrounding Jones, the UFC, and their inability to strike a deal.
Derrick Lewis or Stipe Miocic
Derrick Lewis and Stipe Miocic are the best of the rest at heavyweight. They’re two men Jon Jones will almost certainly cross paths with if he sticks around at heavyweight for more than one fight.
By the time ‘Bones’ and the UFC actually come to a deal, Lewis could already be the new heavyweight champion. ‘The Black Beast’ will undoubtedly be an underdog heading into his fight with Ngannou but he’s certainly not a fighter who can ever be overlooked. Lewis packs a punch and holds the UFC record for the most knockouts in history (12).
If the UFC boss gets his way, Jones will fight Miocic in a number one contender’s fight while we wait for the Ngannou – Lewis rematch to play out. White has already called on Jones to fight Miocic in his heavyweight debut. The former 205lb champ made it very clear on social media that he has no interest in fighting the heavyweight great next. However, as we said earlier, things can change quickly. For the right money, we believe Jon Jones would take that fight with Miocic and what a fight it would be.
Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya is one of the best fighters in MMA and he has been chasing a fight with Jones for some time. Right now, it appears to be an unlikely match-up with Jones committed to a run in the heavyweight division and Adesanya set to defend the title he holds at middleweight on June 12. Despite this, Adesanya could next for Jon Jones if things play out in a certain way.
Presuming Adesanya gets by Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, he’ll immediately begin looking for the next big challenge. Robert Whittaker is the number one contender at 185lbs, but a man ‘Stylebender’ has already beaten and the middleweight champion isn’t too keen on running things back. A second attempt at the light-heavyweight title is something Adesanya could go for but it’s not necessarily an appealing fight for the UFC or its fans as the New Zealander was easily dealt with by Jan Blachowicz in a rather dull fight.
Adesanya has openly spoken about following Jones up to heavyweight. If he actually decides to make that move, you’d imagine ‘Bones’ would be open to making a boat load of cash by fighting a smaller man at heavyweight while he waits for a crack at UFC gold.
Ultimately, we don’t know who Jones will be fighting next. We don’t even know if we’ll ever see the former champion in the Octagon ever again. One of the fighters we’ve talked about in this article could very well be next for Jones or perhaps it’ll be someone else. Whoever he fights we’ll be tuning in and we’re sure MMA fans all around the world will too.
