Jon Jones (Credits : Jon Jones IG)
We take a look at whether Jon Jones is still ranked in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings
Jon Jones regained the championship in 2018 by defeating Alexander Gustafsson, following the lifting of his suspension in 2017. In 2020, he voluntarily relinquished the title amid a pay dispute with White, citing a desire to move up to heavyweight. Since then, the contract disputes have become a public matter amidst rumors that Jones might return to fight heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou next year. But where does it leave Jones on the pound-for-pound rankings list considering the prolonged hiatus?
As of 14 November 2022, he is ranked thirteenth in the UFC’s men’s pound-for-pound standings. Jones previously held the UFC light heavyweight championship from March 2011 to April 2015 and from December 2018 to August 2020. In 2016, Jones additionally held the interim UFC light heavyweight championship.
In May of 2020, following a disagreement with UFC President Dana White over pay, Jones announced that he was relinquishing his title as the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Jones was looking to fight heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou, and according to White, Jones wanted “Deontay Wilder money.” This is a reference to Wilder’s rumoured earnings of $25–30 million in his rematch with Tyson Fury, which is scheduled to take place in February 2020. Jones made the announcement on social media on August 15, 2020, that he would be giving up the Light Heavyweight Championship and expressing his desire to move up to the Heavyweight division. Jones also stated that he would like to move up to the Heavyweight division.
According to the most recent rumors, the UFC is trying to schedule a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou for UFC 285. “The Predator” will be ready to go by the end of March which was confirmed by his coach earlier last week. If that matchup fails to come to fruition, Curtis Blaydes has also confirmed that he will be available to compete as a backup.
In the wake of these latest developments from the heavyweight division, Georges St-Pierre has given his two cents on what he expects from Jon Jones when he makes his heavyweight debut.
Speaking in a recent media scrum [via/ MMA Fighting], Pierre expects nothing but the best from “arguably the best fighter of all-time”:
“I’ve seen it on the red carpet when I got inducted into the [UFC] Hall of Fame. I took a picture and I put my arm around him, I was like, ‘Man, he’s solid like a rock.’ He’s huge. Jon Jones, he’s solid like a rock, he looked huge.”
“I’m a fan of Jon Jones, I like to see him fight. I can’t wait to see him come back. A lot of people are like, ‘Yeah, he was out for a long time.’ He was out for a long time, but he’s Jon Jones, you know what I mean? Don’t forget that he’s Jon Jones. He’s arguably the best fighter of all-time too. He can make a comeback and I think he’s going to be successful when he does.”
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