Dillon Murray

Jon Jones returned to the octagon on the main card of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 309 last week and although he won his fight against Stipe Miocic decisively with a spinning back kick in the 3rd round, many are asking what's next for the decorated fighter.

Anyone who has seen Jones fight could tell that in his most recent bout he is slower and isn't in as good shape as he used to be. In fairness Jones is now 37, before fighting Stipe he only had one professional match up in the past three years.

While Jones was taking time off for injuries two clear challengers have been making waves through the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions respectively.

Tom Aspinall is a younger fighter from England who was the interim heavyweight champion while Jones was unable to defend his title. With a record of 8-1 in the UFC, Aspinall is an impressive well-rounded fighter who is quick for his weight class. He has an average fight time of two minutes and two seconds due to his exceptional finish rate. This may put Jones at a disadvantage as he frequently watches his opponents fights to learn their patterns and habits.

The kick that won Jon Jones the fight by Chris Unger via Gettyimages

When a champion makes their return after vacating a belt there is usually a unification fight to see who continues to hold the title between the interim champion and the returning champion. This means logically that Jon should fight Aspinall to unite the belts and have one definitive champion in the heavyweight division. However, Jones has publicly stated that he is willing to give the united belt to Tom Aspinall in pursuit of super fights.

Many are saying that Jones is scared to fight Aspinall, although Jones is adamant that he wants the matchup with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Jon Jones lifting the title after the fight by Chris Unger via Gettyimages

Pereira is a glory kickboxing legend who has a lot of eyes on him because of his spectacular knockout power and unorthodox fighting style. Pereira moved up to light heavyweight in 2023 and in the last year he has defended his belt three times making him one of the most active champions on the roster.

Both Pereira and Jones are the same age, each have had very eventful careers although many are under the impression that Jones only wants the fight due to Pereira’s lack of wrestling experience which should trivialize the bout for Jones who has been wrestling since High school. Pereira is no joke with his dangerous leg kicks and left hand he often picks apart opponents and makes them look lost in the octagon. A fight between himself and Jones would be difficult to call, especially because Jones is out of his prime and Pereira keeps proving himself against dangerous opponents.

CEO of the UFC Dana White has shared that he wouldn't want Pereira to move up a weight class to fight Jones and he's not too keen to make the fight. Jones believes that Aspinall hasnt proved himself enough at Heavyweight and that he doesn't deserve the unification bout. The longer Jones goes denying prospects and looking for potential super fights the more his legacy and the greatest mixed martial artist fades Although given his reputation and status if he chooses to step into the octagon again it looks like he will be deciding who to fight.

What's next For UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones