Odds on What’s Next for Jon Jones After Vacating UFC Light Heavyweight Title

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• Oddsmakers are buzzing about what’s next for Jon Jones
• Will Bones get in a boxing ring, the octagon, or further trouble with the law?
• Scroll down for the props and odds surrounding Jones’ next step, plus best bets

What’s next for Jon Jones is on the mind of many combat-sports fans. After an explosive negotiation period with the UFC, it seems like Jones is taking some time off. The frustrated fighter, who is the consensus MMA GOAT, feels that the promotion is undervaluing his efforts in the octagon.

Jones went to his social media to indicate that he would be dropping his title, leaving for a period of up to two years, while trying to achieve some form of normalcy in his life.

Odds on What’s Next for Jon Jones

Odds as of June 3rd.

Jones last competed against Dominick Reyes, retaining his belt via unanimous decision at UFC 247 in February. Since that polarizing judges’ call went down, he has gotten in trouble with the law and indicated an interest in fights in two different sports (boxing and MMA).

It seemed like his last brush with police officers was informed by getting a little stir crazy from COVID-19 lockdown measures. At the time, UFC was not running any events. The landscape is much different now with UFC regularly putting on events for the last couple months.

Jones has also been using his influence to enact meaningful change in his community.

.@JonnyBones helping businesses clean up in Albuquerque, New Mexico today ????pic.twitter.com/S0OTn7qSkv

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 1, 2020

To that point I would certainly lean more into the idea that a fight is next for Jones.

Pick: MMA or Boxing Fight (-200)

Odds Jones Fights in the UFC in 2020

This situation is different from a previous situation where speculation surrounded  Jones losing his belt. “Bones” was in some legal trouble earlier in the year and the thought then was that the promotion might intervene and strip him of the championship. The key difference with the present situation is that Jones is vacating the belt of his own volition

Jones is analyzing the present landscape as a businessman, as he should. It’s kind of a hollow gesture to call someone the GOAT in your sport and not pay them commensurately. Especially compared to some of the mammoth paychecks that boxers make, Jones’ MMA paydays are a pittance. I could certainly see a hiatus for Jon Jones purely due to financial considerations.

#ESPN Reyes vs Jan For the UFC light heavyweight championship of the world. As of right now, I got nothing to really gain fighting either of them. Let me know if you guys want to set up a day in 2021 for that Izzy fight. Hopefully you guys will be willing to pay by then.

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) May 31, 2020

The onus is on Jones and this causes me to alter my call in that last article. I think Jones will end up sitting out for the remainder of the year in a principled stance against UFC’s payment practices.

Pick: No (-180)

Odds on Jon Jones’ Next Fight

As mentioned prior, Jones was targeting a fight with heavyweight Francis Ngannou but was looking for a larger paycheque to journey upwards and fight the leviathan. Dana White put the kibosh on that and has since been publically feuding with his light-heavyweight champion. Both Jones and Ngannou have had reasonable frustrations with the promotion for weeks now.

As part of Jones’ social-media venting, he mentioned that he does not make a quarter of what former heavyweight champion boxer Deontay Wilder makes for a fight. Bones has certainly teased putting on the big gloves and taking a fight under Queensberry Rules.

I’d probably make more in my first boxing match than my next three UFC fights combined. There’s real estate, acting, just kicking it and being a dad. No one needs to put up with Dana‘s lies https://t.co/YKYKhqfR47

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) May 31, 2020

But ultimately, Jones’ best tools are utilized under the MMA ruleset (oblique kicks, nuanced wrestling game, elbows, etc). His technical boxing skills aren’t really on a level that would allow him to compete with any reputable top-level talent. The world of the sweet science is not his next endeavor.

Pick: MMA (-400)

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