When UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones fights top contender Dominick Reyes in the main event of UFC 247 main event this weekend, it could represent the last time that Jones fights at 205 pounds. After a decade of dominance in the weight class, Jones could finally make the move that many fans have been asking for for years, and that’s a move to the UFC heavyweight division.
Jones has teased a move up in weight before, but it has never been serious. Now that we have a new decade upon us, however, it’s the perfect time for Jones to test himself up a weight class. If he can beat Reyes this weekend, he will have essentially cleaned out the division. Sure, fighters like Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz could theoretically fight for the belt, but these kinds of fighters shouldn’t be ones preventing Jones from finally moving up in weight.
If Jones is truly about the money fights — and it sure seems like that’s important to him — then the biggest money fights for him are at heavyweight. Jones vs. UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic seems like the biggest fight possible for the UFC outside of anything involving Conor McGregor. Jones against his longtime rival Daniel Cormier at heavyweight would also be intriguing. So would Jones taking on heavy-hitter Francis Ngannou. The best, more interesting fights for Jones are above 205 pounds.
Jones is already arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, but if he really wants to strengthen his case, then moving up would help. Some of the sport’s all-time greatest legends like Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Randy Couture, and BJ Penn, plus modern legends like Cormier and McGregor, have succeeded in multiple weight classes. Jones has been the best 205-pounder and by a large margin, but the question of how he would fare at heavyweight is intriguing, and if he can achieve success there, it wouldn’t leave many questions about his career unanswered.
But ultimately this is going to be a choice that Jon Jones makes. He can stay at 205 lbs and continue to dominate if he wants, but if he wants to stay in that division he will be fighting non-draws like Anderson and Blachowicz who can’t do much to add to his legacy. If he moves to heavyweight, there are legitimate superfight possibilities there against the likes of Miocic, Cormier, and Ngannou. These are just more exciting opponents. Hopefully, Jones sees that and decides it’s finally time to make a move. Only Dominick Reyes stands in the way.
• Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
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 UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes takes place February 8, 2020 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
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