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According to the UFC president, Jones’ tweets about moving to heavyweight were “the first things we’ve heard from him.”

Jon Jones has been relatively quiet in the MMA sphere since ‘retiring’ from the sport after negotiations for a Francis Ngannou superfight stalled out before they even began. But he lit his account back up for UFC 252, stated he was cheering for Daniel Cormier to win his rubber match against Stipe Miocic, and then declared he’d be coming for the heavyweight title after Stipe Miocic took the unanimous decision win (watch the highlights here).

Will that really happen? Jones has been teasing a move from light heavyweight to heavyweight for years but it’s never materialized. To be fair, it’s always come with a caveat: the UFC would need to pay him more to move up. And for some reason Jones has never been on the short list of fighters the UFC is willing crack open their wallet for.

Maybe it’s because of all the headaches and fight cancellations and legal issues outside the cage. Maybe Dana White’s blackjack senses just tell him he can outmaneuver “Bones” at the negotiating table every time. Whatever the case, the real losers in this game of financial chicken are the fans.

Did these tweets from Jones mean the impasse between him and his promotion was sorted? Unfortunately not. Despite Dana White claiming he’d reached out to Jon to sort out the light heavyweight division, it now seems like he’s been less than responsive.

“That’s the first thing we’ve heard from him, right there, is on social media,” White said during the UFC 252 post-fight press conference.

As for the possibility of Jones leapfrogging the widely recognized #1 contender Francis Ngannou?

“Francis is definitely next,” White confirmed. “I mean, you can’t jump over Francis. Francis has been out there destroying everybody. And if you look at how long ago it was that he got that title shot, he’s worked his way back. It belongs to Francis Ngannou. But yeah, Jon Jones going to heavyweight is very interesting.”

When asked if White had a preference between Jones defending his title or moving to heavyweight, he replied it was completely up to Jones … if Jones even wants to fight.

“There isn’t anything I’d rather have him do,” White said. “The guy either wants to fight or if he doesn’t. If he wants to fight he’ll let us know. And if he doesn’t, he won’t.”

So yeah, long story short: the UFC still sounds pretty uninterested in giving Jones any special treatment. He can either fight under the current financial terms of his contract, or sit out. If he decides to continue fighting at 205, White has said a Dominick Reyes rematch is next. If it’s heavyweight? It doesn’t sound like there’s an immediate title shot waiting for him there.

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ufc-vegas-6-the-morning-after-chris-weidman-wins-but-his-future-remains-uncertain

It is difficult to convey the double-edged sword that is kicking in words. Shin-kicking into a kneecap or have a toe catch on an elbow are miserable experiences. It’s the type of pain that will see veterans hop up-and-down on one foot in agony.

Punch those same men in the face? No change in visible expression.

The vast, vast majority of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters do almost all of their training while wearing shin guards, a heavily padded rubber shield that protects your training partners … and yourself. Uncovered shins are reserved for pad work — in which you kick … a pad — and live, professional fights.

The average professional fighter is not a Muay Thai specialist. Even if he/she is, they are unlikely to be a Thai national who has been kicking tires and bamboo trees since childhood. That’s the type of shin conditioning truly required to kick without fear of injury: lifelong dedication.

Or, at the very least, a Tony Ferguson-esque commitment to slamming bone and sinew into metal pipes.

For the rest of the professional fighting world, kicking with full power is a risk. A body or head kick that lands to the point of the elbow can break a bone, and colliding with the shin can literally snap a leg. Ask Anderson Silva, who has far more professional fights and Muay Thai experience than most of his peers.

That’s a scary outcome. Most fighters can mentally handle a loss, but a crippling injury? One that requires months without walking and likely over a year before a return to combat? No one wants that.

Part of the appeal of the calf kick — besides its destructive power — is that it really cannot go THAT wrong. As of right now, no one has found a way to effective squat in an instant and block the calf kick with the knee. Usually, the pull the leg away, no harm, no foul. At worst, the kicked fighter turns the shin out, and the two athletes collide in a painful-but-even clash of shins.

Fear of self-destruction limits the kicking game. Sean O’Malley is learning why, and he’s doing it the hard way.

In five fights, O’Malley has twice damaged his right ankle. The first injury came in 2018 opposite Andre Soukhamthath, when O’Malley injured his foot throwing a right high kick. O’Malley could have easily lost the bout had Soukhamthath realized just how badly he was hurt, but instead, O’Malley merely coughed up the final round.

There would be no such mercy from Marlon Vera. As soon as the Ecuadorian athlete noticed he was facing a wounded foe, he pounced. He started attacking the other leg immediately, and upon gaining top position, slammed an elbow straight through O’Malley’s face into the canvas.

So yeah, this article is about O’Malley and kicks, but shoutout “Chito” for his savagery.

At the time of writing, it’s still not exactly clear how O’Malley injured his ankle. Was it the first misstep that saw him roll his ankle? That’s certainly a possibility. However, it’s also not likely a coincidence that O’Malley rolled the same ankle/foot that he injured previously, nor does O’Malley wear those ankle braces for style purposes.

“Suga” kicks with the reckless confidence of a young, undefeated fighter, because until last night, that was his status. The last time firing full commitment kicks at every opportunity bit him, he was still able to win.

There was no need to change.

A second injury and subsequent loss is definitive. Two ankle injuries in five fights is not bad luck, it’s a recurring problem. At the very least, it’s a pattern, and opponents haven’t even begun to target his calf with kicks yet.

There is only one real solution, and it’s being careful. That’s not a fun, flashy answer, but O’Malley is likely to run into this issue again if he’s not measuring his kicks more often. It’s only truly safe to commit his full power to a kick when he has an opponent fully tricked, when the setup is perfect.

Otherwise, he’s rolling the dice with his own body. O’Malley remains an incredibly bright prospect at 25 years old, but if quick footwork is the basis of his success, the health and mobility of his legs must be a priority.

For complete UFC 252: “Miocic vs. Cormier 3” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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UFC 252 went down last night (Sat., Aug. 15, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring a Heavyweight championship trilogy fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. After five rounds of action, Miocic walked away with a unanimous decision win (replay here). In the co-main event, Marlon Vera knocked out Sean O’Malley in the very first round in one of the biggest upsets in recent memory (recap here).

Biggest Winner: Stipe Miocic

After spending nearly an hour of cage time with Daniel Cormier over the course of three big title fights, Stipe Miocic proved that he is indeed the better Heavyweight of the two after taking home a unanimous decision over “DC” — to go along with his knockout win at UFC 241 — to put an end to their rivalry. He now becomes the only fighter to have two official wins over the former UFC champ-champ, which is huge considering Cormier is known as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Above all else, Miocic solidified his status as the greatest UFC Heavyweight ever with the win and maintained his status as the baddest man on the planet. And while he has a rematch against Francis Ngannou to look forward to next, Miocic can also look forward to a potential big-money super fight against current Light Heavyweight king, Jon Jones.

Runner Up: Marlon Vera

Injury to Sean O’Malley aside, that was a huge victory for “Chito,” which is undoubtedly the biggest of his career. Vera got some sweet vindication on “Suga” after the brash Bantamweight tried his hardest to channel his inner-Conor McGregor to bash the Ecuadorian-born fighter. Now it just remains to be seen if UFC throws a little public relations love “Chito’s” way after upsetting the man the promotion was grooming to be a potential poster boy. Something tells me Vera will have to put a bit more work in before that happens, but “Chito” has never been scared to work for his so you know he has his hard hat ready to put in that overtime to get to where he wants to be.

Honorable Mention: Jairzinho Rozenstruik

“Bigi Boy” bounced back nicely after he suffered the first loss of his career — a 20-second knockout loss to Francis Ngannou — by knocking out former Heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos. The win is a big one for Rozenstruik for the simple fact that in the 265-pound division there aren’t a whole lot of contenders who have put enough wins together to warrant a title shot, other than Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes. That means that unlike in other weight classes, one or two big wins puts your right at the forefront of a championship fight. I think Rozenstruik is probably one (maybe two) big win away from punching his ticket to the big dance, but his knockout of “Cigano” once again reminded all of the big men just how dangerous he is.

Biggest Loser: Sean O’Malley

“The Suga Show” hit a huge speed bump in “Sin City” after Marlon Vera knocked out O’Malley in the very first round. The loss marked the first time Sean tasted defeat in his combat career after starting off 12-0, 4-0 UFC. But perhaps the worst part about the night for O’Malley was that he suffered an leg injury prior to being stopped, which many will likely use as a reason to discredit “Chito.” It’s an unfortunate setback for O’Malley, one he’s gone through before. While the full extent of the injury is unknown as of this writing, “Suga” will likely be out for an extended period of time which will slow down his rise — coupled with the loss — and allow the rest of the Bantamweights to make their move. At the end of the day, these things (unfortunately) happen in MMA. Just as this legend.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 252: “Miocic vs. Cormier 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.