Is the UFC creating another Jon Jones problem?

Zane Simon

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Publish Date: 11/12/2024

Jon Jones is all set to fight Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title this coming Saturday in Madison Square Garden, but another tangled knot of contendership may be forming down in the welterweight division.

The welterweight division has been known for its long term championship dominance. Georges St-Pierre set the standard, but in more recent years Tyron Woodley, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards have all had championship reigns lasting multiple years. Will Belal Muhammad be the next, or will he find himself sharing his belt with one of several rising challengers in the form of an interim title?

The UFC's Jon Jones problem

The UFC heavyweight division currently has a Jon Jones problem.

Ever since Francis Ngannou left the UFC and took his title with him, the promotion has been struggling to make sense of the heavyweight division. After years of balking (and bulking) former light heavyweight champ Jon Jones finally made his debut, battling Cyril Gane for the vacant crown. Although he dominated that fight, Jones went right back to the sidelines, nursing an injury, and chasing what he describes as a legacy clinching superfight with former semi-retired champion Stipe Miocic.

To bridge this new gap, the UFC granted Tom Aspinall a shot at an interim belt. A title he has since defended—beating Curtis Blaydes back in July. In any reasonable circumstances a unification bout should be on the horizon, only it seems to be the furthest thing from either Jones' or Miocic's stated interests.

UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic banner

Will UFC create an interim welterweight title for UFC 311?

With champion Belal Muhammad now injured, one of the options UFC is mulling over, is to create an interim title at UFC 311.

It's a situation where the world's largest MMA promotion may want to be cautious with. Muhammad had been set to make his first title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov on December 7th in Vegas, leaving the Kazakh fighter looking for a replacement opponent. So far it seems the search has not been fruitful.

"Someone just showed me [Shavkat's manager] Rubenstein's Tweet for that big dummy 'Sh*t-rat'," Colby Covington stated in a video posted to social media. "Listen up, Junior—translate this to whatever caveman dialect you need to, and get it through that big empty skull attached to that Gumby-ass body. I don't posture and I don't bluff. As soon as I get off this beautiful, 5-star Trump golf course—located in the heart of MAGA country, West Palm Beach, FL—I'm calling Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White] and we can all see who's posturing for clicks, bozo."

It's unclear exactly what message from Shavkat's manager seems to have gotten so far under Covington's skin, but if 'Chaos' is selling his potential as a title challenger, it doesn't sound like 'Nomad' is taking him all that seriously.

"All I hear are empty callouts! No real intention, no action. Just posturing for the media and fans," Rakhmonov wrote, tagging both Covington and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a post on Twitter.

There's no clear contender at UFC's welterweight division

It doesn't help that both Usman and Covington lost recent bouts that have notably dimmed their sale-ability as top flight UFC welterweight contenders. Still, both men would likely be a bigger draw atop a PPV card than contenders like Sean Brady or Jack Della Maddalena coming off wins. It may just be that a familiar face, even riding a loss is the best path forward if the UFC wants to create a second belt at 170.

All that is to say nothing of Muhammad's stated interest in fighting Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title at some point in the future. 'Remember the Name' has been bullish on the idea that he could capture a second belt if given the opportunity.

That seems to be more and more the UFC's norm in their current era, with champions increasingly disinterested in top contenders and the UFC needing every PPV headlining title fight they can get.