2021 has officially begun, and this year one of the most anticipated things to watch out for would be the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ Heavyweight debut.
In July 2020, Jon Jones expressed the desire to move up in the weight ladder to claim the distinguished Heavyweight title, but, for that vacating the top prize of the 205-pound division became a prerequisite.
While relinquishing a title at the leading MMA promotion in the world is not seen as a rational act, however, for Jon Jones, it was a step he took to meet the only goal that remains to be achieved and also in the bid to give other competitors a chance to have a crack at the Light Heavyweight title.
“The reason why I decided to vacate the light heavyweight belt and not hang onto it is that I knew my move to heavyweight was going to take a really long time,” Jones told Bleacher Report. “I didn’t want to be one of those athletes to slow down the division. I feel like I’ve held onto the light heavyweight championship for so long. I’ve ruined so many people’s dreams of being the light heavyweight champion, and now it’s time for someone else to have it.”
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‘I could have done the selfish thing’
Further reflecting on his decision to give in the championship, Jon Jones stated, “I thought it was the right thing to do for everyone else,” Jones said. “I could have done the selfish thing and held onto it and come up with a bunch of excuses and lied to the fans and said I was going to come back down to light heavyweight and made all these guys wait. I didn’t want to do that, I have no intentions of ever going back to light heavyweight.”
The No.2 ranked Pound-For-Pound fighter in the world, Jones carries an exceptional stature in the circuit. So much so that, when the weight class already has an undisputed champion in the form of Stipe Miocic, and a promising contender like Francis Ngannou in the reserve to make the most of his opportunity. Yet, it is Bones who is apparently the favorite to claim the belt before the end of the year, and also seen as the ideal figure to start 2022 as the champion of the 265-pound section.
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