Despite a flurry of news Monday that seems to provide clarity to the UFC light heavyweight division, the reality is that the situation remains a murky pool of unanswered questions.
What we do know is that the UFC for September 26 is focused on an attack between lightweight heavyweights Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz. We do not know what will be at the point.
Immediately after that news broke, Jon Jones tweeted that he was leaving his light heavyweight crown and negotiating an increase to heavyweight.
Does that mean Reyes and Blachowicz will fight for the low-lying light heavyweight crown?
And will Jones get the next shot at heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, despite UFC president Dana White saying this chance will go to Francis Ngannou?
And for those who refuse to believe that Daniel Cormier was actually engaged in fighting, the arrival of archrival Jones at heavyweight would seem to throw gasoline at those flickers of doubt.
ESPN’s panel of Ariel Helwani, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim breaks what is real from what is not.
Real or not: Jones will be the next challenger for heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Helwani: I do not think so. I think they will then go with Ngannou against Miocic. After all, Dana White said so much at the UFC 252 postfight news conference on Saturday. I think there’s a good chance that Jones is waiting for the winner of that match and not fighting until then, or he’s fighting a top match to get his feet wet at heavyweight. Both scenarios would not surprise me. Jones, as we know, is very calculated when it comes to his fighting career, so I think he wants the idea of testing the waters against a striker before he fights for the belt. The question then becomes, is the UFC willing to pay him what he wants upstairs? That’s the big one. Anyway, I think they will eventually figure it out, but a 2020 return seems like a long shot at the moment.
Real if not: Jones would have to win a heavyweight fight before landing a title shot.
Wagenheim: Not necessary. If there is no clear no. 1 heavyweight candidate waiting for a shot, I would be perfectly OK with the best light heavyweight on the planet – belt if not belt – step directly to the head of the line in the land of behemoths. But who is brave enough to tell Ngannou that he needs to get out?
Yes, I know Ngannou already had a shot at Miocic, but that was more than 2½ years ago. Since then, “The Predator” has fought four times – knockout wins in 45, 26, 71 and 20 seconds, with two of the victims being former UFC heavyweight champions. There is no candidate in any division in the UFC or any other fighting promotion – MMA, boxing, whatever – who deserves more of a championship chance than Ngannou.
Well, if Miocic decides to take a significant period after the hefty 25 minutes of last weekend in the cage with Cormier, and Ngannou is ready to risk his place at the front of the queue – Joanne Calderwood-style – for what would be sure to have a big money fight with Jones, then book it anyway.
As Miocic Vs. Ngannou 2 going forward, I think Jones has the resume to ensure he is the next challenger of the title. I do not think “Jonny Bones” needs a shot with a heavyweight win. However, I think it would be badass, though, if he were to solidify his position in a fight with the current no. 2 heavyweight match, Curtis Blaydes.
True or not: After failing to become lightweight champion due to what many believe was a poor score against Jones, Reyes will beat Blachowicz for the title.
Raimondi: It would be a huge mistake to calculate Blachowicz. A lot of people did that in February before Blachowicz’s fight with Corey Anderson, and we saw what happened. Blachowicz stopped Anderson with a right hand in Round 1. The Polish powerhouse has won seven of its past eight fights. He’s the real deal.
With all that said, Reyes certainly looks forward to the division’s future, right? He is only 30 years old, has just 13 pro fights and seems to be getting better every time. Many felt he defeated Jones at UFC 247 in February. It was certainly the most vulnerable Jones has seen, perhaps ever. And that’s not just about Jones. Much of that had to do with Reyes and his striking skills on the South Paw.
Reyes is a great athlete with top. Maybe it will be a situation like Georges St-Pierre, who lost his first chance at the title and then became a long-term champion after winning it in his second chance. There’s another guy you may have heard of who was 12-1 and won the UFC title in his 14th career fight: Jon Jones.
Real if not: Daniel Cormier would have to retire for another shot at Jones
Okamoto: The congratulations on social media posts to DC are still on our timelines, and we’re already asking if we should pull him back. Absolutely not.
Cormier already took a big risk in Miocic’s fight a third time. It had been really easy for him to walk away after the rematch and say, “You know what? I’m fine. I beat the man who had the heavyweight belt defended more than anyone else, and it was not my night in the rematch. We will leave the series at 1-1, as they are equal. “
But that’s just what he did.
He rolled the dice and went all or nothing. He would remember him as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, as Miocic would be. We should never have to debate it. And at last Cormier came short.
Why in the world would he return again to fight an opponent who has brought out the worst of him in the past, and is eight years younger? This is the slippery slope fighters who catch it all the time. There is always, always, always “one more fight” to come back. And most of the time, that “one” leads to a depressing stretch of bad performances to end a career. Cormier did not go out on top, he’s not a UFC champion – but he did go to the top in the sense that he fought his best on Saturday and made a lot of money to do so. And he walks away relatively healthy. Enjoy Retirement, DC.
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