Chael Sonnen talks about Jon Jones' career after his jump to heavyweight
MMA fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen has discussed Jon Jones' career ahead of his long-awaited heavyweight debut. Jones' most recent fight saw him successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision in February 2020. 'Bones' vacated the title that August and has been preparing for a move to heavyweight.
In a recent edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen emphasized that Jon Jones, UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and former champion Stipe Miocic have separated themselves from other heavyweights. He noted that the trio had dominated the title picture for a significant period.
Chael Sonnen indicated that Jones, Ngannou and Miocic have high-profile UFC contracts and won't fit the slot of anything less than a UFC pay-per-view main event. Ergo, he believes a loss in their respective upcoming fights would be career-ending.
Moreover, 'The Bad Guy' opined that if Jon Jones wins his comeback fight, he likely has three more fights left. Insinuating that Jones doesn't have many years left in his career, Sonnen said:
"Those three have done a great job of separating themselves [from the rest of the heavyweight division]. It is very likely that whoever loses, we don't ever see fight again. It's a big pressure. If Jon Jones was to come back and win, he would probably have about three fights left. It's my guess.
"I was asked how many years does Jon have left. If he was to rattle those off quickly, kind of get used to that division, I think that things get easier for Jon over time. And I understand there's a tipping point on that, but that statement just simply can't be true, but I think that they do in this case."
Watch Sonnen discuss the topic at 6:25 in the video below:
Chael Sonnen names the toughest matchup for Jon Jones at heavyweight
The consensus is that if reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou settles his contract dispute with the UFC and re-signs with them, he'll serve as Jones' first fight at heavyweight. While the UFC is reportedly targeting the Jones-Ngannou matchup for UFC 285 on March 4, 2023, the fight hasn't been officially announced yet.
Additionally, it's believed that if the Jones-Ngannou showdown doesn't materialize, the UFC could book 'Bones' to fight Curtis Blaydes instead. In an episode of Beyond the Fight last month, Chael Sonnen highlighted the aforementioned possibility and named wrestling savant Blaydes as the toughest stylistic matchup for Jones in the UFC heavyweight division.
Sonnen said:
"The toughest matchup for Jon, if you just wondered about Jon Jones. The toughest X's and O's matchup that we see out there is Curtis Blaydes. There was even talk of putting that fight together."
Watch Sonnen's assessment below: