Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is eligible to fight in the UFC again on July 7 as his one-year suspension for testing positive for banned substances will be up.
With Jones’ fight eligibility date approaching, many are wondering if there will be an immediate title shot in line when the former king of 205 makes his way back to the Octagon.
MMA Junkie caught up with some of the top names in the light heavyweight division to get their take on the situation.
“For a guy who’s been as dominant as he was, obviously his resume says that he always should get a title fight,” current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier told MMAjunkie. “I’m a straight shooter. I’m not going to sit here and try to downplay the guy’s accomplishments. I know who he is, I know who he was, so he should always be around a title fight. I won’t downplay his accomplishments and say he’s not worthy. But we’ll see. I always want to fight him.
“I told you guys time and time again: If they would have let me fight him again, I would have fought him in two days even after he tested positive for steroids. I would have still fought him. I asked to sign a waiver to fight him even though his test came back dirty. So yeah, I’d love to fight him, of course.”
Glover Teixeira who fights Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 109 on May 28 said that he is hoping to put on a good performance against Gustafsson to head back toward another title fight. However, Teixeira who challenged Jones for the title and lost at UFC 172 said no one will blink an eye if Jones gets an immediate title shot.
“Jones deserves the – you know, with him coming back and getting the title shot, nobody’s going to complain about that. Because the guy had his problems outside the octagon, but in there he’s done his job.”
While Gustaffson had a close and controversial fight with Jones for the title, he is not thinking about anything outside of his fight with Teixeira much like Anthony Johnson, who is taking on Comier for a title rematch at UFC 210. Both Gustaffson and Johnson told MMA Junkie that they are focused at the task at hand and not concerned with what will come after their next fight or Jon Jones.
What are your thoughts Jon Jones getting an immediate title shot upon his return to competition? Sound off in the comment section!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/31/2017.