Jon Jones: Back at it again

On Thursday morning at roughly 12:58 a.m. Albuquerque police responded to the sound of a gunshot. Police officers pulled up to a black jeep, where they believed the gunshot came from and identified Jon Jones and another person outside of the vehicle. Jones stated he did not know where the gunshot came from.

Jon Jones was arrested for a DWI and negligent use of a firearm. After searching the Jeep, the officer found a handgun under the driver's seat, and an open bottle of alcohol behind the passenger seat. Jones also did not have proof of insurance at the time of the arrest. Gilbert Gallegos, the Albuquerque police director of communications stated that the gun will be tested to determine if it was used in any crimes.

In the criminal complaint, it was stated that Jones had “blood-shot watery eyes and a strong odor of alcohol”. Jon attempted three field sobriety tests, failing miserably on all occasions. Jones blood alcohol content registered at 0.16, double the legal limit in New Mexico.

In a statement issued to reporter Brett Okamoto, UFC stated “UFC is aware of the situation regarding Jon Jones in Albuquerque early this morning. The organization has been in contact with the Jones’ management team and is currently gathering additional information”.

Jon Jones is set to have a bond arraignment hearing on April 8th. More information to follow.

What’s next for Conor and Cowboy after UFC 246?

Conor McGregor is coming off a long hiatus from the octagon, it seems Donald Cerrone has never left… but after their showdown January 18, what’s next?

Conor McGregor

McGregor is by far the biggest draw in the history of the sport – and with that kind of star power, it’s feasible to believe with a win at 246 he can demand a title shot. But there are more options on the table for Conor besides a rematch versus Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Title fight versus Khabib Nurmagomedov

For Conor, there remains unfinished business. McGregor has not fought after his loss to Khabib in October 2018 at UFC 229. The fight had bad blood leading up to it, and there was the controversial brawl post-fight as well. This may very well have left a poor taste in McGregor’s mouth – and the pride of Ireland will want a chance at redemption, avenging his loss and reclaiming champion status. This is the most likely outcome should McGregor finish 246 in spectacular fashion.

BMF belt versus Jorge Masvidal

Conor is fighting at 170lbs for UFC 246, a new division for him. This fight against Cerrone will not only tell us whether McGregor is ‘back’ or not, but we can also see if this weight class could be his new home. Should Conor win at 170lbs, and feel like the division is a fit, there is only one matchup that could rival the hype of a title fight against Khabib – and that would be for Jorge Masvidal to put the BMF belt on the line. A rising star in Masvidal versus a returning superstar in McGregor – this one could smash PPV records.

Title fight versus Kamaru Usman

There is no love lost between Conor and Kamaru. The two fighters have been smack talking online since McGregor was announced on the 246 card. We know the draw that Conor brings; we know he is a champion-caliber fighter; what remains to be seen is his ability to perform at the level he has in the past at 170lbs. Should Conor win, and should a fight against Khabib not be attainable immediately afterward, then this is the fight that should happen.

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone

Cowboy has had 50 professional fights. The man stepped into the UFC octagon four times in 2019. His last two fights resulted in a TKO loss to Justin Gaethje and a TKO loss (via doctor stoppage) to Tony Ferguson. We know he has nothing left to prove, but it doesn’t seem as though Cerrone plans on slowing down any time soon. That being said…

Retirement after a win at 246

Should Donald Cerrone pull the upset and defeat Conor McGregor, would that not be the best chance to exit the sport? Cerrone never has taken time away from the cage, he fights multiple times per year against any opponent that signs the dotted line, and he leaves it all on the canvas. He is ranked #5 in the lightweight division, with the fighters that delivered him his last two losses ranked above him. Even with a win over McGregor, I don’t believe he is next in line for a title fight. Should he choose to stay in the 170lb division, a division that is absolutely stacked with talent and potential title contenders, he would need to climb his way through some serious competition to get a shot at a welterweight belt. It’s hard to imagine Cowboy out of commission, but what better way to go out on top than putting an end to the hype train return of McGregor?

Top-five contenders fight versus Dustin Poirier

With a win over McGregor, a title shot versus Khabib doesn’t seem fair to Ferguson or Gaethje. Neither would a rematch against either of those fighters. There is one other fighter in the division ranked ahead Cowboy outside of those three – Dustin Poirier. Poirier is currently ranked #2, and should McGregor be removed from title contention with a loss to Cerrone, this could be a great fight to determine who gets the next crack at the champion – whether it is Khabib, or the winner of a Ferguson vs. Khabib / Gaethje vs. Khabib fight.

With a loss…

If McGregor loses to Cerrone at UFC 246, is there really any reason he continues to fight? McGregor recently claimed he could be making $80 million from this fight, after reportedly making near $50 million from his fight with Khabib. It seems clear that McGregor has returned for two reasons: to make the biggest paydays the sport has ever seen, and to reclaim a title. A loss secures one of those two things and sets the other on a path far more treacherous.

I would hate to see Cerrone become the gatekeeper of the lightweight division should he lose to McGregor at UFC 246. There are a few fighters below Cowboy in the rankings (Felder, Hooker, and Lee to name a few) that are on the verge of breaking the top-five of the division. It seems likely that if Cerrone were to lose this fight, he would pose as the man to beat for those ranked below him in order to enter serious contention for the belt.

What’s next for Jorge Masvidal?

Jorge Masvidal is wrapping up 2019, the best year of his career, with some serious bargaining power. This guy sells pay-per-views and is quickly becoming the biggest draw in the UFC.

After nearly a year and a half layoff, Masvidal stepped back into the cage versus Darren Till at the O2 Arena in London, England. Masivdal secured the second round KO handing Till his second loss in his career. And then the press conference. After some trash talk from Leon Edwards, Masvidal approached Edwards with his hands behind his back. Edwards and company continued their trash talk until Masvidal delivered his classic three piece and a soda combo. This skyrocketed Masvidal’s buildup to becoming the superstar he is today. Four months later, Masvidal delivered the quickest knockout in UFC history over Ben Askren. Not only was this the quickest KO in UFC history at 5 seconds into the first round, this is arguably the most violent and perfectly executed knockout in the history of the UFC. This of course leads us to the BMF title fight in Madison Square Garden versus Nate Diaz. This was another perfectly executed fight where Masvidal won via TKO in the third round. This guy is on fire and the UFC needs to quickly cash in on the Masvidal hype train. Listed below are a few potential match-ups that make the most sense for Jorge Masvidal.

Conor McGregor: McGregor is currently set to make his return to the octagon versus Donald Cerrone on January 18th in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight is in the welterweight division so a win over Donald Cerrone certainly puts Conor in the talks of a possible match-up versus Masvidal. The build up to this fight would be insane. There has already been plenty of back and forth between the two fighters with Masvidal recently calling Conor out on The Jim Rome Show stating, “Everybody’s going to feel sorry for him after the fight, I can tell you that much. They’ll forgive him all after the fight I can promise you that. This baptism’s gonna be a little extra for Mr. Conor”. In my opinion, this is the biggest money fight for Masvidal and quite possible has the ability to be the biggest pay-per-view draw in the UFC’s history. 

Kamaru Usman: Usman is coming off a TKO victory over Colby Covington where he successfully defended the welterweight belt. To me there are bigger money fights for Masvidal in this division but there is no denying the fact that Jorge deserves the title fight.

Nick Diaz: Even though Diaz has been out of the octagon since January of 2015, this is still a viable match-up. You’ve heard Diaz welcome the fight, you’ve heard Masvidal welcome the fight, now it is up to the UFC to bring the two legends together.

Jose Aldo to Challenge Henry Cejudo for Bantamweight Title?

Following a controversial split decision loss at UFC 245, Jose Aldo will possibly be the next man up to take on Henry Cejudo for the bantamweight title fight.  During the UFC 245 post fight press conference Dana White stated that Henry Cejudo texted him demanding a fight versus Jose Aldo. White had the following to say;

“I don’t hate it... Cejudo is the man right now. If you look at what Cejudo has accomplished, if he says, ‘I want Jose Aldo. I think Jose Aldo won’ … I think Jose Aldo won the fight. Most of the room thought he won. If he wants Jose Aldo next, we could do it.”

Aldo landed many clean strikes and definitely controlled the pace for most of the bout versus Moraes, but ultimately the judges scored the bout a split decision win for Moraes. Many questioned how Aldo would fair in his bantamweight debut after leaked images of the fighter’s intense weight cut were released. It is safe to say Aldo impressed all doubters and put on a great performance versus Moraes, the #1 ranked contender at bantamweight.

Henry Cejudo Relinquishes Flyweight Title

Henry Cejudo will now solely focus on the bantamweight division. On December 19th, Cejudo announced that he would be relinquishing his flyweight title and would welcome a bantamweight title fight versus Jose Aldo in the near future. Cejudo made it clear that he was never stripped of the flyweight title and it was his decision to focus entirely on the bantamweight division.

On August 4th, 2018 Henry Cejudo (15-2) won the flyweight title by way of decision over Demetirous Johnson, the longtime flyweight division champion. Since his win over Johnson, Cejudo has only defended the belt once in a fight where he stopped TJ Dillashaw in the first round.

Cejudo now has plenty of options to choose from for his next bantamweight title defense. The most likely contenders include Aljamain Sterling (18-3), Petr Yan (14-1), and of course Jose Aldo (28-6).