Blake Daniels, April 21, 2020

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Jon Jones will fight again in 2020 when the sports world returns to normal after the coronavirus pandemic. The current light heavyweight king of the UFC appeared to be in trouble when he was arrested by police late in March.

But Jones avoided jail time after pleading guilty to a DWI charge earlier this month. The UFC’s 205-pound champion instead received 96 hours of house arrest and one year of probation for his latest brush with the law.

With his legal troubles gone, for now, Bones can look forward again to defending his belt when the action resumes. There are several potential opponents lined up for Jones and let’s rank them one by one:

1. Jan Blachowicz

Jon Jones said he wants “fresh meat” on every soil and wants to pop some cherries in Poland. Well, there is no other Polish light heavyweight who is doing well in the UFC right now other than Jan Blachowicz who is coming off a first-round knockout win over Corey Anderson.

The Polish fighter is ranked 4th in the 205-pound division and he has won three straight bouts since losing to Thiago Santos. After losing four out of five bouts up to April 2017, he’s lost just once in his last eight bouts with four out of the seven wins coming by way of stoppage.

Blachowicz is the former KSW light heavyweight champion but is already 37 years old. He may have punching power but he is relatively slower compared to Dominick Reyes and Thiago Santos, making him more ideal to Jon Jones as an opponent, especially during these trying times for the champion.

2. Dominick Reyes

If there is such a thing as the right fight to make, this is it. If Thiago Santos took a round in the judges’ scorecards when he fought Jon Jones, Dominick Reyes looked like he won three out of the five rounds when he fought Bones at UFC 247. Most media observers and fans agree that Reyes did enough to outpoint Jones in that fight but the champ still emerged victoriously.

Reyes entered the fight unbeaten in his first 12 MMA bouts, winning seven by knockout and two by submission. He went to UFC 247 and took the fight to Jones but he slowed down late in the third round and during the fourth and fifth rounds, paving the way for Jones to make a comeback.

Reyes has been calling out Jones for a rematch but it seems that Bones isn’t as interested in him as he is in fighting Blachowicz. Given how he faded in the Jones bout, perhaps Reyes needs to fight another five-rounder to season himself for main events bouts. But then again, the rumor of Jones moving up to heavyweight has never stopped. Reyes might not get his rematch if he doesn’t get the next shot.

3. Thiago Santos

Before Dominick Reyes went toe to toe with Jones, it was Thiago Santos who proved that the UFC’s light heavyweight king isn’t invincible. Well, we saw the blueprint from Alexander Gustaffson but Santos was the first guy who won a judge’s scorecard against Jones. Had he not suffer all the leg injuries he did during the fight at UFC 239, who knows what could’ve happened.

Santos is still the #2 ranked light heavyweight in the world but he’s still rehabbing his injuries. He won eight out of his last nine bouts heading to his title shot against Jones. He knocked out Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa, and Jan Blachowicz in his last three bouts before UFC 239.

If Reyes deserves a rematch, so does Santos and because he fought Jones first, he should get his rematch first. Jones is a champion who leaves no doubt. He gave Gustaffson the rematch after narrowly beating the Swedish Mauler. He will give Santos his due as well.

4. Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya is the UFC middleweight champion but he’s fought at light heavyweight in other promotions and has been calling out Jon Jones, at least on social media. Since Jones’ latest arrest, Izzy has been taunting Bones, perhaps hoping to get the champ’s attention and hopefully lure him to a super fight.

The Last Style Bender is the hottest thing to happen in the UFC since Conor McGregor. His meteoric rise has seen him capture the UFC middleweight title.

Jones vs Adesanya should be the most interesting fight in this list and it is likely going to be the biggest at the box office. However, Jones has made it clear that he doesn’t want to fight Adesanya. The Stylebender also has a lot of business to do in his weight class before he thinks about moving up to challenge Jones.

5. Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier has said that his last fight will be against Stipe Miocic. But you can’t count out DC wanting to fight Jones on more time. Jones is the only mountain Cormier has not conquered and although he believes that his legacy will be complete without a win over Jon Jones, it would be much better if he can avenge two losses ( one of which was overturned).

DC is looking forward to his retirement and is eyeing a retirement pay with his rematch against Miocic. The champion is coming off an eye injury and who knows what form he will be when he returns. I think Stipe will be a sizeable favorite over DC but we saw the first bout, anything can happen. What if DC wins?

It would be great to think that DC rides into the sunset with a win and as the heavyweight champion. But would he postpone his retirement if he beats Miocic? Maybe if a fight against Jones will be on deck. There is so much hate between these two. I don’t think they will retire without a third fight that closes the book.

6. Stipe Miocic

Jon Jones has been talking about moving up to heavyweight since the days of Cain Velasquez. The fans want to see Jones ply his trade with the big boys after already cleaning up the 205-pound division. While DC would be the best fight for him, but what if Miocic sends Cormier to his permanent retirement?

Miocic is a very dangerous opponent and he packs a big punch. But Cormier proved that he isn’t invincible. Jones is arguably the best light heavyweight in the history of the UFC but if he wants to be an all-time great, then he should take the challenge and move up to the heavyweight division.

Francis Ngannou has risen in the rankings again but Stipe already beat him decisively. If Miocic beats DC, then Ngannou should be the logical challenger, if he beats Rozenstruik. But what if the result of that bout is inconclusive and there is a need for a rematch? Jon Jones could be an option for Miocic.