For the past seven months there has been a 205-pound (92 kilogram) shadow over the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Jon Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight and pound-for-pound champion, was suspended this past April for his part in a hit-and-run accident in New Mexico.
The disgraced fighter was stripped of his title, removed from the company’s official rankings and forced to watch from the sidelines while the division he lorded over moved on without him.
In his absence, two-time Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier has captured and defended the light heavyweight title, but has struggled to gain the public’s respect as the ‘real’ champion.
During Cormier’s reign as king, live attendance has been on the downswing and pay-per-view buys have taken a complete nosedive.
His most recent effort, a five-round thriller against Swedish action fighter Alexander Gustafsson last month, attracted ‘in the ballpark of 250,000 buys’ according to MMA guru Dave Meltzer.
The fight-buying public have essentially thumbed their nose at Cormier’s title run, leaving the division in a holding pattern until Jones returns to the cage.
Luckily for those fans, UFC decision makers lifted the former champ’s suspension this past month. “We’ve made it clear to Jon that this new opportunity to compete in UFC is a privilege and not a right, and that there are significant expectations we have regarding his conduct moving forward,” UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said in a press release sent to the media.
“We’re happy to read and see reports that he has embraced the terms of his plea agreement and is using this experience to grow and develop as a person.”
UFC president Dana White has already promised Jones a shot at the title he never lost, so the New Mexico-based fighter is likely to face Cormier in the first quarter of 2016, but a date and location are still pending.
The prevailing opinion among fans appears to be that this is a nightmare scenario for Cormier. After all, he already tried (and failed) to beat Jones at UFC 182 this past January.
Truth be told, this is dream come true for everyone involved.
While Jones is reviled by fans for being ‘arrogant’ or ‘fake’, his absence has shown just how valuable he is to the UFC’s marquee division.
Jones has emerged as a bona fide main event player over the past few years, averaging 500,000 buys at the box office during his record-breaking championship run.
Jones was sorely missed during his UFC-mandated absence, and now that he has been given the green light to continue his career the 28-year-old American could return to the top of the pecking order after just one fight.
The former champ, who is considered among the best to ever strap on a pair of fingerless mixed martial arts gloves, has been almost flawless in the cage during his UFC tenure, but his record outside of the chain-linked fence hasn’t been nearly as glowing.
Over the past three-and-a-half years alone, Jones has slammed his Bentley Continental GT into a pole while driving under the influence, tested positive for cocaine, and, most recently, crashed his rented SUV into a pregnant woman, before fleeing the scene with a wad of cash in his hand.
Given his checkered past, the public has the right to roll their eyes when Jones claims he’s turned over a new leaf, but Jones also gets a chance to prove everyone wrong if he can keep out of trouble during his prime money making years.
And what’s in it for Cormier? Becoming the undisputed champion of the world.
Granted, the California-based power wrestler already holds UFC gold, but most consider his current title reign to be completely illegitimate.
The reality is that the greater public still see Jones as the best fighter on the planet. Jones has disposed of almost every legitimate title contender in the division, and defended the light heavyweight title more than anyone else in the UFC’s 21 year history.
Until Cormier defeats Jones, he will be a champion, but never regarded as the best fighter.
Needless to say, this high stakes showdown should be one of the early highlights of the 2016 calendar, so the sooner UFC gets the grudge match scheduled, the better.
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