Jon Jones‘ return to the octagon has reportedly been canceled due to the booking of Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira 2. Teixeira will look to regain his title against ‘Denisa’ at UFC 282 on December 10.
Jones was expected to make his much anticipated heavyweight debut on the same card against former champion Stipe Miocic. However, Jones vs. Miocic is now seemingly off the cards with the booking of the light heavyweight title fight. MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin reported:
“Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira 2 is official for #UFC282 – we first reported those plans in August. The holdup was the UFC potentially booking Jon Jones on the Dec. card but it appears that won’t be happening now that Jiri vs. Glover 2 is finalized”
Teixeira put his light heavyweight title on the line against Prochazka at UFC 275 in June. After getting dominated for the majority of five rounds, the Polish standout scored a stunning comeback win with half a minute left on the clock.
Curtis Blaydes blames Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic hold-up for stagnation in the heavyweight division
Jon Jones has been teasing a return to the octagon since 2020. While he keeps us updated about his physical transformation through social media posts, there was no date specified for his return until recently. Fans have had their hopes raised, but it seems like they’ll have to wait some more for Jones’ return.
Meanwhile, Francis Ngannou has defended his title only once against Ciryl Gane since dethroning Stipe Miocic in March last year. Gane has since gone on to beat surging contender Tai Tuivasa, resulting in a lack of relevant matchups at the top of the division.
Number three-ranked contender, Curtis Blaydes, blames the hold-up of the Jones vs. Miocic fight for the stagnation in the heavyweight title picture. Posting a picture of ‘Bones’ and Miocic, ‘Razor’ recently wrote on Instagram:
“The heavyweight divison is back to be being stagnant and directionless ??
Meanwhile, Curtis Blaydes has racked up an impressive three-fight win streak since a brutal knockout loss to Derrick Lewis in February last year. ‘Razor’ is 7-1 in his last eight outings, which includes four knockout wins.