Jon 'Bones' Jones relinquishes LHWT title

[Beetlegeuse]

The Bloody Elbow is reporting that Bones tweeted he's relinquishing his light heavyweight belt to pursue heavyweight glory. In a separate article, TBE reports that Jones stated he had a "positive conversation" with the UFC about the money for the fight. Jones got butt-hurt just a couple of months ago when Dana White remarked publicly that Jones wanted has asked for "Diante Wilder" money for a heavyweight fight with Francis Ngannou, called White "a fucking liar" (guess he never heard of "hyperbole") and asked to be released from his contract. So apparently Dana has kissed his ass and made up (as I predicted). Or maybe all his lawyers' bills came due at once and he decided he had to fight.

It will be interesting who he'll get first at heavyweight. I'm thinking Rozenstruik would be a good tune-up fight, but there's more money to be made (for both Jones and White) if they go with Nganno or Blaydes. Even Derrick Lewis probably will bring more gate. Rozenstruik jumped two spots (one rung ahead of Lewis) with his win over JDS, and he did bring a much better rounded game against Dos Santos, but I still think Lewis is the better-rounded fighter. Nganno, Lewis and Rozenstruik all three hit people so hard it makes their grandchildren be born bruised, but I see Rozenstruik as the one who's least likely to put Jones in retirement.

[BG]

This is great move....for everyone. I cant wait and hope this ignites a fire under Jon's ass, getting in shape and focused. Be nice to see him fired up again.

[Beetlegeuse]

I'm not sure it's a good move for him. I have doubts the style(s) that made him a success at 205 will work against the big bruisers. For one thing the fights he's most dominant in tend to be with shorter opponents. Outside of Cormier (who's a question mark at the moment), there's only three guys in the top 10 he's taller than, and even with them it's by no more than two inches.

But it's definitely a good move for the UFC's P&L sheet.

[Bio-Active]

There really isn’t anyone left for Jones to fight at LH. I am sure he is gonna get paid more at Heavy too.

[Ashop]

I would like to have seen him defend LH and well as competing in HW but really admire JONES
not holding the title up if he isn't passionate about it.

[Bio-Active]

I would like to have seen him defend LH and well as competing in HW but really admire JONES
not holding the title up if he isn't passionate about it.

Dana doesn’t let anyone do that anymore. Unless your name is Amanda

[BG]

Well he has a hard time making 185 so if he’s going to fight at HW he will need to put on size to compete with those guys. He couldn’t ko LHW he surely isn’t going to put a HW down. So he will gain weight to be a HW he won’t be able to make LHW anymore.

[Beetlegeuse]

Well he has a hard time making 185 so if he’s going to fight at HW he will need to put on size to compete with those guys. He couldn’t ko LHW he surely isn’t going to put a HW down. So he will gain weight to be a HW he won’t be able to make LHW anymore.

He can bulk up on Ho-Hos and cream sodas all the way up to 240 but he's still going to have legs like Tweety Bird.

Having calves like pipe cleaners was to his advantage at light heavy because he could have more bulk above the waist than most of his opponents. But now he'll be facing men with upper bodies that shame Charles Atlas. Some of them even have to diet to make 265. He's now fought 14 5-round LH fights (beginning with Rua @UFC 128) and scored four TKOs (including Cormier II, which is now an NC on account of Bones got popped for PEDs). That's 29% of his finishes from TKOs but overall 50% of all heavyweight fights end in a KO/TKO. And his only KOs were before he came to the UFC.

Skinny legs aside I don't see that he's got the one tool that yields the best results in the heavyweight division. Could be he's in over his head. It also could be he has a plan.

BTW, if you didn't see it, DW has remarked that he isn't opposed to Bones fighting for the belt in his first Hwt contest.