It appears the UFC welcomes the decision of Jon Jones to make the jump to heavyweight though he will have to go through the process. UFC president Dana White made it clear that while he recognizes the popularity of Bones, he will not leapfrog himself and get the first crack at Stipe Miocic. Francis Ngannou is next in line and it will remain that way.
Jones vacated the light heavyweight title recently with plans to move up to heavyweight. That decision came not long after Miocic had defeated Daniel Cormier in their trilogy fight. Ngannou is the fighter next in line but there were some suggesting he could be set aside in favor of Jones. White stressed that this is not the case, ESPN reported.
"[Ngannou vs. Miocic is] definitely the fight that's going to happen at heavyweight now," White said. "Francis Ngannou has earned that title shot. Then we'll see what happens.”
For Jones, this could make sense. He needs to bulk up and maybe try to try at least one fight before thinking of the heavyweight title. There is no telling how much time Jones would need although there is a name that could make sense. Some may like it, others may not. But if he wants to measure how ready he is at this weight class, a fight with Cormier could be the perfect scenario.
White could be thinking of that but the problem now is that Cormier has announced his retirement from the sport. Then again, this is something that has been heard before with other MMA fighters. Most announce they are done, only to come back especially when there is big money on the line. Also, the rivalry between Jones and Cormier is well-documented.
The two have met twice with Jones winning the fight in the cage. Ironically, Bones would lose the title not long after. But as far as the fight in the cage is concerned, Cormier has yet to prove he can win battles in the cage.
Seeing how Cormier is still hurting from another UFC loss, it may take time for him to seriously consider it. Jones needs the time to bulk up while Ngannou should get his title shot. If White pieces all of these together, the result could be something fantastic. Any of the four could end up as the last two men standing to figure out who deserves to be the UFC Heavyweight king.
