It looks like Jon Jones is no longer the UFC light heavyweight champion.
Jones had been ruling the roost of the light heavyweight division in his second title reign. Throughout the UFC 252 broadcast, “Bones” had fight fans buzzing with his social media posts expressing interest in a move to heavyweight. Jones took to his Twitter account to reveal that he has informed the UFC that he’s relinquishing his 205-pound gold.
“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.”
Jones become a two-time UFC light heavyweight champion when he stopped Alexander Gustafsson in their rematch back in Dec. 2018. “Bones’ has had three successful title defenses in his second reign with the 205-pound championship.
This announcement has led many to speculate that Dominick Reyes vs. Jan Blachowicz will be contested for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the news that the matchup will take place on Sept. 26. At the time of Okamoto’s report, the stakes weren’t clear for Reyes vs. Blachowicz.
If Jones does indeed move up to heavyweight, he may not get a title shot right away. During the UFC 252 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said Jones won’t leapfrog Francis Ngannou for a shot at Stipe Miocic’s title.
