It’s been a few years since the talk of “superfights” inside the Octagon was at its most fevered pitch. When Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva were both reigning supreme as untouchable UFC champions, fans were salivating over the idea of the two of them coming together for a massive champion vs. champion fight. Now as we kick off 2015, a potentially bigger superfight lies on the horizon.
Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez would be the biggest fight the UFC can put together in 2015. In a year where we could see the returns of former champions Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre as well as a possible soccer stadium show featuring Conor McGregor, and Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz, the sky seems to be the limit on big fights. The biggest of them all could be Jones vs. Velasquez.
The UFC is finally in a position where its most dominant champion is a pay-per-view and television draw. The promotion of his fight with Daniel Cormier has seen both Jones and the UFC embrace the champion’s role as a bad guy and someone fans either love or hate.
Jones has beaten the brakes off of several former UFC champions, but his last three performances have sent his popularity much higher than in the past.
His UFC 165 performance against Alexander Gustafsson was 2013’s “Fight of the Year” and was a star-making performance for both champion and challenger. Jones then dispatched a very dangerous and highly touted Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in dominant fashion. And now on the heels of one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history, his grudge match with Cormier, Jones is approaching superstar status.
If the UFC wants to continue Jones’ upward trajectory, where does it go from here?
The heavyweight champion has always been dubbed “The baddest man on the planet.” Velasquez fits that bill perfectly. He will have a unification fight with Fabricio Werdum upon his return from a lengthy injury layoff, and should he remain champion, the time is near for a Velasquez vs. Jones superfight.
One thing that was common of UFC stars in the past was their fights each seemed to be bigger than the previous. Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Brock Lesnar all found themselves in increasingly important fights as they climbed the UFC ladder. Silva’s unbeaten streak became so legendary (and fragile) that he attracted more and more fans with each fight.
The next opponent for Jones will most likely be the winner of Gustafsson vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, which takes place later this month in Stockholm, Sweden. A rematch between Jones and Gustafsson would be huge, as Gustafsson pushed the champion to the brink in their first encounter. A matchup with Rumble Johnson would be the last viable threat at light heavyweight for Jones.
At a time when MMA is looking to untested, outside sources to draw eyeballs, why not book the greatest heavyweight of all time against the greatest light heavyweight of all time?
The fight would sell itself, especially given the utter disrespect shown by Jones to Velasquez’s teammate Cormier, even after the fight.
If we have learned anything from the UFC’s inability to book Silva vs. GSP, or Silva vs. Jones, it should be that the iron won’t be hot forever, and we need to strike hard when the opportunity exists. Someone will lose, or someone will retire. New contenders will inevitably pop up. Should Jones and Velasquez make it to the second half of 2015 still holding their titles, they need to fight.
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