"205 is much better without Jon Jones" - Chael Sonnen details how 'Bones' was "ruining" light heavyweight division

(L to R) Jon Jones, Jones vs. Dominick Reyes (top), Jones vs. Thiago Santos (bottom), Chael Sonnen [via Chael Sonnen on YouTube], Jiri Prochazka

Chael Sonnen believes the light-heavyweight division is better off without Jon Jones. According to 'The American Gangster', Jones was 'ruining' the division through sheer dominance.

Sonnen noted that Jones' dominant run removed a crucial element from the division: 'anticipation'. While the former champ had some close calls in his last bouts, 'Uncle Chael' believes no one saw them coming. The 45-year-old recently said on YouTube:

"Jon was ruining that division. He was ruining it through dominance. There was nobody that could even imagine dealing with Jones. Jon had two or thee split decisions... Jon won the decision but lost that fight [against Dominick Reyes], Jon vs. [Thiago] Santos was not supposed to go anywhere. Jon vs. 'Lionheart' [Anthony Smith] was not supposed to go five rounds... I mean I'm just sure, for you, as fun as some of Jon's matches turned out to be, nobody anticipated [them]. This business does not survive without anticipation ... So yeah, 205 is much better without Jon Jones."

Jon Jones reigned supreme atop the 205lbs division for almost all of the last decade, recording his last title defense against Dominick Reyes in 2020. The light-heavyweight strap has changed hands thrice since, getting passed on from Jan Blachowicz to Glover Texeira to Jiri Prochazka. Sonnen believes that the title getting passed on in quick succession is not necessarily a bad thing.

Watch Sonnen's YouTube video below:

Jon Jones realized that his light heavyweight stint was over after his performance against Dominick Reyes

Jon Jones' invincibility was questioned in his last three UFC fights at light heavyweight. Jones earned closely contested decisions against Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes, all of which have been considered controversial.

The former light heavyweight king himself accepted that his last title defense against Reyes at 205lbs proved that his light-heavyweight days were over. However, instead of being deterred by the poor performance, 'Bones' claimed to be excited about a fresh start at heavyweight. Jones wrote in a tweet earlier this year:

"My candle for light heavyweight blew out, it showed in my last fight, instead of being discouraged by a bad performance, I’m stoked about this new season. New energy. My time at LWH was over, I see that more clear today than ever"

My candle for light heavyweight blew out, it showed in my last fight, instead of being discouraged by a bad performance, I’m stoked about this new season. New energy. My time at LWH was over, I see that more clear today than ever