Just two weeks ago, Jon Jones pled guilty to one felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, but the former light heavyweight champion avoided jail time after a judge granted him a conditional discharge. Jones will serve 18 months supervised probation and be required to make 72 speaking appearances. Let’s break down the biggest questions and see how they ripple into the UFC betting world.
IS JONES COMING BACK TO THE UFC?
Most likely, yes. That’s if he wants to come back, and it’s highly unlikely that he’ll step away from the sport while still at the top of his game. Jones is one of the greatest fighters we’ve seen in the history of the sport - a generational talent much like Messi in soccer or Lebron in the NBA. On a personal level for Jones, there’s still money to be made - and that may be even harder to walk away from.
DOES HE GET A TITLE SHOT RIGHT AWAY?
I think he has to. He was so dominant at 205 that a tune-up fight would be a waste of time. The UFC is a business, and promoting an immediate championship bout for the man who never lost his title in the ring would make piles of money. Furthermore, we’ve heard throughout the year that he’s continued his training at Jackson-Wink MMA during his legal troubles, even stepping in to help his teammates prepare for bouts. So it’s not like he’s been sitting around eating donuts.
WOULD HE BE THE FAVORITE IN ANY FIGHT?
Yes, yes he would. With the exception of Alexander Gustaffson, this is a man who dominated every opponent put before him. He’s not even 30 years old yet, meaning he’s still in his athletic prime. This is not the same case as somebody like Georges St. Pierre, who is 34 years old with more than a decade of fights to his resume.
If he were to face Daniel Cormier again, do you really believe that the outcome would be any different the second time around? There have been numerous reports that he barely trained for Gustaffson, and there’s no way the Swede surprises him again. The only top contender he hasn’t faced is Anthony Johnson, and Jones’ talents far surpasses Johnson’s.
SO WHEN’S HE COMING BACK?
That’s for the UFC to decide, but I’d bet on it happening sometime next year. The UFC wants to make sure that Jones’ personal problems are in the past, as it would be horrible PR for the promotion to reinstate him right away. The UFC has had a long history of sweeping his troubles under the rug - Jones crashed his car under the influence of controlled substances, tested positive for cocaine shortly before a fight and checked into rehab for all of one day. He barely got a slap on the wrist for those offenses. However, the UFC simply couldn’t ignore this hit-and run, stripping him of his title and suspending him indefinitely.
The UFC light heavyweight show went on, but the topic of Jones dominated the conversation every time there was a major fight in the division. This is a weight class that is rapidly thinning in terms of talent and starpower, and Jones is the superstar it needs to put it back in the spotlight.
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