Nine individuals hold a championship title in the UFC. All have achieved greatness by defeating the best to reign atop their division. In that, some current and former champions have flirted with the idea of changing weight classes to secure another belt, such as current featherweight champion Jose Aldo and former lightweight champion Benson Henderson, to name a few.
There have only been two combatants who have secured a UFC title in two weight classes—mixed martial arts legends Randy Couture and B.J. Penn. However, there is currently one champion whose many accolades and tremendous accomplishments include, but are not limited to:
*Youngest champion in UFC history
*Most successful light heavyweight title defenses (7)
*Longest win streak in UFC history (11)
*Most submission victories in UFC light heavyweight history (5)
Given that, one individual has not only stated his intentions of changing weight classes, but is most apt to secure a second world title—Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.
The Dominance of a Man
Jon Jones became the youngest UFC champion at 23 years old when he battered and defeated then-lightweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128. Throughout his career, Jones has defeated five former world champions in Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort. The light heavyweight champion sports a 75 percent finish rate and has only tasted defeat once via disqualification.
Except for his legendary battle against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, Jones has made his opponents appear amateurish in their attempt to topple the New Jersey native. Therefore, desirous of a greater challenge, Jones has stated his yearning to eventually move up to the heavyweight division.
The Heavyweight Option
In late 2013, Jones talked about his desire to compete at a higher weight class against reigning champion Cain Velasquez. According to Erik Fontanez of MMA Weekly.com, Jones stated:
I think that’s going to happen within the next two years. I’ll go up to heavyweight, permanently. I’ve been really thinking about me and Cain Velasquez going at it. Don’t be surprised if you see that sooner or later…
…[Velasquez is] definitely the toughest guy in the division. He’s not that big, so I think it’ll be a really entertaining fight.
However, earlier this year, Jones reconsidered his position in moving to the heavyweight division, citing the high-quality competition at 205 pounds. Per Chuck Mindenhall of MMA Fighting.com, Jones stated:
Somebody was asking me about possibly fighting Cain Velasquez, and I answered to that, I have no interest at this point. There’s a lot of great competition for me to test myself against…
… So, yeah, lots of competition left for me, and I’m excited to meet them all.
History in the Making
At UFC 182, Jones will face the undefeated Daniel Cormier. Provided he’s victorious against Cormier in January 2015, Jones will most likely be pitted against Gustafsson, who put the champion in the hospital after their first matchup. If Jones reigns supreme over the aforementioned fighters, a move to heavyweight would be logically sound. A successful transition to heavyweight would most likely translate into an immediate title shot against the heavyweight champion. Jones would then be presented with the opportunity to make history by securing a second championship belt in a separate weight class.
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