Daniel Cormier: Why Jon Jones HW debut should be vs. Curtis Blaydes

In August, the MMA light heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones vacated his title with the intention of moving up to heavyweight. We are in the final month of the year, and no opponent has been named. However, during a recent episode of ESPN’s DC and Helwani show, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier named who he thought would be ideal.

Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis was supposed to headline Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 19, but “Razor” tested positive for COVID-19. Cormier advocates for the UFC scrapping Blaydes vs. Lewis, and upon his full recovery, have Blaydes fight Jones.

Move Blaydes to Jones, Lewis to [Jairzinho] Rozenstruik, said Cormier. Those are two real good fights. It makes all the sense in the world because one, Jones beats Blaydes, nobody will ever say he doesn’t belong at heavyweight. Blaydes beats Jones, now he has beaten the greatest of all time in people’s mind going up to heavyweight; he’ll get his title shot right away. I think that’s what you should do.

“Derrick’s gonna get taken down by Curtis Blaydes over and over again. It’s what’s gonna happen, but if Derrick fights Jairzinho Rozenstruik, they’re gonna be standing and banging in that small octagon. This makes all the sense in the world.

Jones’ heavyweight debut needs to be a main event. Put him in the pay-per-view the month before [Francis] Ngannou [vs .] Stipe [Miocic]. … If Jon Jones is fighting in the main event, it’s a pay-per-view. Belt or no belt.

UG, looking at the UFC Top 15, who should Jones debut vs?

Champion: Stipe Miocic
1. Francis Ngannou
2. Curtis Blaydes
3. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
4. Derrick Lewis
5. Alistair Overeem
6. Alexander Volkov
7. Junior Dos Santos
8. Shamil Abdurakhimov
9. Augusto Sakai
10. Aleksei Oleinik
11. Walt Harris
12. Sergei Pavlovich
13. Blagoy Ivanov
14. Ciryl Gane
15. Andrei Arlovski