Danny Segura: Time for a blockbuster fight
Blachowicz and Reyes undoubtedly deserve a shot at the champ in their own respective manner and either challenger would be worthy opponent for Jones.
However, it’s been sometime since we’ve seen Jones, one of the biggest stars in the UFC, involved in a blockbuster fight, as he’s diligently fought the No. 1 contender, regardless of whether they are well known, time after time.
The last big fight for Jones was his rematch with Daniel Cormier back in 2017. You could make a case that it was Alexander Gustafsson in 2018, but the Swedish fighter entered the bout 3-2 in his last five fights and with a year plus of inactivity. Safe to say the momentum from the first fight, which was an instant classic, had slowed down considerably.
After topping Gustafsson, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, Dominick Reyes, I say it’s time to do one of the Jones super fight we’ve long discussed.
There’s never going to be a perfect time to run a champ vs. champ fight, as there will always be a contender with racked-up victories. I know this is not great news for either Blachowicz or Reyes, but the best time for Jones super fight is now. He’s 32 and has been dominant force at 205 pounds for sometime. Let’s see how he looks against talents from other divisions.
If Adesanya gets past Yoel Romero at UFC 248 next month, I think the fight with Jones would be the one to make.
The notion that Jones is too much too soon for Adesanya went out the window after seeing Jones have tough outings with Reyes and Santos, specially in the striking department. The wrestling and size is still in question, but if Adesanya gets past Romero, an Olympic wrestling silver medalist, I think he’d have a good case to beat Jones. And that is far more intriguing than bouts with Reyes or Blachowicz.
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