It’s the end of an era in the UFC light heavyweight division. Jon Jones (26-1-0), who has held the belt for the better part of nine years, vacated the crown Monday.
Jones, 33, took to his Twitter account to announce the move and the next steps towards competing in the heavyweight division.
Just got off the phone with @Ufc, today I confirm that I’m vacating the light heavyweight championship. It’s officially up for grabs. It’s been an amazing journey, sincere thank you to all my competition, Ufc and most importantly you fans.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 17, 2020
Just had a really positive conversation with @Ufc. Sounds like there will be negotiations for my next fight at heavy weight. All good news, the weight gaining process begins.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 17, 2020
Seriously, I challenge you guys to go out there and be great too. It’s going to be awesome watching with that cheeseburger in my hand
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 17, 2020
Previously, there was talk of Jones moving up to fight Francis Ngannou, but those talks broke down over money.
Jones leaves the light heavyweight division as a three-time champion since initially winning the title from Mauricio Rua in 2011 at UFC 128. He never lost it in the octagon, but issues with the law and USADA anti-doping violations caused him to be stripped in 2015, 2016 (interim title), and 2017. Despite this, Jones managed to defend the belt 11 times.
His last defence was a controversial decision win over No. 1 contender Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February.
I'll catch you later JB https://t.co/C9ZpNgmUMS
— Dominick Reyes (@DomReyes) August 17, 2020
With the title vacant, unconfirmed reports are floating a bout between Dominic Reyes and Jan Blachowicz.
Breaking: A 205-pound fight between Dominick Reyes (@DomReyes) and Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) is in the works for Sept. 26. The fight is nearly agreed to, but the stakes are being worked out. UFC is working with current champ Jon Jones right now to figure out his next move. pic.twitter.com/lHy7GUfX2Q
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 17, 2020
Blachowicz, 37, defeated Corey Anderson in his last fight, part of a three fight win streak. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the division.
The UFC is expected to confirm who will fight for the vacant light heavyweight belt shortly.
