‘Israel Isn’t The Guy Anymore’ : Coach Winklejohn Says Jon Jones Will Only Be Interested in a Fight with Jan Blachowicz at Light Heavyweight

Ever since announcing his move to heavyweight back in 2020, Jon Jones seems to be stuck in limbo. A public spat with UFC president Dana White over issues over fighter pay and compensation hasn’t helped. And seems like we will have to wait for another year before we see Bones back in the octagon.  

Fans have been looking forward to the variety of matchups available for the former Light heavyweight, particularly a fight with reigning champion Francis Ngannou. Speculations about Jon Jones coming back to 205 pounds keep doing the rounds with fresh blood taking over the division.  

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, coach Winklejohn shed some light on the fight that he thinks would urge Jon Jones to make a move back to his former division.  

“At this point it would be Jan, there’s no doubt about it. If Jon was motivated to go to 205. He wouldn’t want to fight Israel, because Israel’s not the guy anymore. And Jon wants a challenge. He also understands the real world. That doesn’t make sense to me either. You can talk all you want, but that doesn’t mean you’re the best. It’s nice when you’re the best and you talk, maybe a little, to sell the match, but no, Jan would definitely be the one I would think.”  

Jan Blachowicz captured the vacant light heavyweight title in spectacular fashion with a knockout win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 253. In the following months, Jan went onto register his first title defense against middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya despite being the underdog once again.

Considering all this, one can imagine Jon getting the itch to go back to what was once his kingdom. However, for now, he has his eyes set on the Heavyweight championship.

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When will Jon Jones return to the octagon?

Although fighters in the UFC have been bringing up fighter pay for several years, no steps have been taken to address the situation, as the UFC is a privately owned company.

Jones, widely considered the GOAT, has been in a similar situation with the UFC. The Rochester native believes he deserves more than what he has been offered in the past.

With Francis Ngannou now set to face interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane sometime next year, Jon’s return to the octagon is far off. As of now, it seems like Jones won’t be making his walk back to the octagon until later next year .

What do you think? When will Jon ‘Bones’ Jones come back? Let us know in the comments.

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