A Look Ahead: What I Have my Eyes on in 2023

photo creds: The Mirror.co.uk

With the 2023 calendar year yet to kickoff for the UFC and a long 20 some day hiatus we’ve had to endure between events, we’ve had plenty of time to set our eyes on the upcoming year and the list of prospected events we already have in store. Big names, big fights and returns from some of the sports highest level athletes, but there is one in specific that I have my eyes on.

Although there is a lot I am intrigued about, It’s an easy choice for me, the return of Jon Jones. Arguably one of the best Light Heavyweight champions to ever fight for the organization and to some, one of the most talented fighters the sport has seen. Granted his career has been tarnished by run-ins with the law, substance abuse, failed drug tests, you name it. His name has been lingering around for a return for so long it almost feels like the hype has died off, but from the sounds of it, that return could very well be official midway through the 2023 year. His opponent though? To be determined. We have heard rumblings of a fight with Stipe Miocic, arguably one of the best heavyweights to fight for the organization, we have even heard Francis Ngannou, the most dominant striker the heavyweight division has seen. The one thing in common with these opponents? All heavyweight contenders. A weight class up from Jones standard Light Heavyweight Division that he has so dominantly ran through since the 2010s.

Jones has spent his lengthy time away hitting the weights, putting on muscle mass, and showcasing his power-lifting abilities during his pause from competing in the cage. So, a return to the LHW division seems like it’s out the window which is why I am as curious as ever to see where he goes from here. Jones was small, muscular and build wise, for the LHW division. He had massive reach and was extremely long and athletic for his weight class which was part of the reason for Jones being so dominant in his time as the champ. Going up in weight to fight guys that look like real life superheroes has me wondering how he is going to hold up dealing with all that power.

One thing that noticeably stands out to me when he fights is the size of his legs. Each fight I watch I am amazed that not many people try attacking his legs to take away that base and slow his movement, which seems to give so many people trouble in his bouts. There seems to be zero meat on the bone at his base, which is one way to take away his biggest toolset in a fight for someone that is long, quick, and athletic. Most of his opponents avoid those leg strikes as a wrestlers’ favorite counter is to use those low strikes as a simple method to get their opponent on the ground, not to mention Jones superior wrestling has been giving his opponents trouble for years, an answer nobody has been able to find. Now he is going up against guys that have more power, more weight packed on and arguably equal or close to the same height, size, and reach as Jones. Which leaves the question, will those things that Jones has so dominantly used to his advantage during his time as the reigning champ still be as effective on the biggest and baddest fighters the organization has to offer?

Now I know what some of you are thinking, he already fought a heavyweight champ and handedly beat him on two occasions, right? His fights with Daniel Cormier, who is up for debate as one of the best heavyweight champs we have seen, was a walk in the park for Jones as he defeated him not only once, but twice in LHW title bouts. Yes, both fights took place in the LHW division, the weight class Cormier originally fought in before moving up to the heavyweight division. With all respect to DC, he was very undersized for the heavyweight division. He was very short compared to most of his opponents and his reach was not that of most Heavyweight opponents he fought but was extraordinary on the ground and knew how to leverage his size and weight to smother his opponents. Cormier was only the true heavyweight Jones had to face in his time as the reigning champ, but the heavyweight division now seems the be a list of behemoths at the top and Jones has clearly stated he is only interested in a big-name fight. Not only is the size a question, but the time he has spent away from fighting comes to mind too. Will he even hold the same skillset we saw when he was in his prime? Will he still have that killer instinct in him? How will he fare with the power of someone like Ngannou? There is so many questions that need to be answered for a Jon Jones return and I am so intrigued to see how these will be answered.

The way I see it, the sport needs more long-term superstars back in the mix. It seems belts are always changing hands quickly; fighters only hold so many title defenses before coughing it up. Where is the era like Jones, Anderson Silva, and Jose Aldo where these fighters were locking up the division for years to come. Jones was ‘that guy’ in the early to mid 2010s and even though it has been years since we have last seen him compete, I still am thoroughly invested to see what he is going to bring to the heavyweight division in 2023. Let’s just hope Jones can steer clear of trouble so we can get him back in the cage in 2023. A fight of this nature would be huge for the organization and hopefully spark some big fights for the year to come. We’re all curious and have questions we want answered and I am trying to see if Jones still has it. Will Jones make a title run? Will he even make his way back to fighting all together? Only time will tell.