Jon Jones has a plethora of options for his next bout after reclaiming his light heavyweight title at UFC 214.
Number-two ranked Alexander Gustafsson appears to be leading the race to fight the UFC’s pound-for-pound champion next. Many fans felt the Swede defeated Jon Jones when he took him the distance in UFC 165’s main event and those back-to-back victories over Jan Błachowicz and Glover Teixeira may very well have earned him his third crack at the belt.
The man we’re pushing for the next shot at the greatest martial artist to ever grace an Octagon is Volkan Oezdemir. The Swiss knockout artist has climbed to the number three spot in the rankings after just three fights in six months for the promotion.
Another intriguing fight that’s been gaining serious legs is a heavyweight duel against Brock Lesnar. This would undoubtedly be the money fight for Jones and a chance to show that he’s ready for the heavier weight class. However, the WWE star would require six months of USADA testing before being able to return.
One fight that people most definitely aren’t calling for is a rematch between Jones and ‘the only man to beat Jon Jones,’ Matt Hamill.
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Firstly, this is not an attack on Matt Hamill’s ability or his legacy. He was one of the best 205 lb fighters in the world in the late noughties, an incredible feat for someone who entered the big leagues as a 29-year-old with a 2-0 professional record.
On 5 December 2009, a 33-year-old Hammil fought a 22-year-old Jones in the co-main event of the Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale.
Here’s how the Hammer looked immediately after the stoppage that resulted in him “winning” the fight.
Prior to the bout, Jones amassed a pristine 9-0 professional record which was sullied by a disqualification against ‘The Hammer’ over the antiquated 12-6 elbows rule.
His only crime in the fight was not striking with his elbow from an angle in the mount position. Joe Rogan claimed on the live broadcast that the move was made illegal after someone from the athletic commission saw ice-breaking demonstrations and subsequently deemed too deadly for combat sports.
Jones was initially deducted a point for the illegal blow in the first round, but after Hamill was ruled unable to continue he was disqualified from the contest.
Another interesting tidbit is that Hamill actually didn’t know he had won the fight when it was made official. He was being attended to by cutman ‘Stitch’ Duran and being deaf, he could not hear Bruce Buffer’s announcement or the boos from the crowd.
He revealed after the fight that he had dislocated his left shoulder on the ground and was forced to defend Jones’ vicious ground and pound with the use of only one arm.
Although it went down in the win column, Hamill was clearly dejected over what had transpired. He had to be carried out of the Octagon because of his injuries.
On what planet do we envisage the rematch going better for a 40-year-old Hamill against Jones who is arguably in his prime?
Since that fight, Jones has won all 14 of his contests to solidify his position as the greatest ever. This includes victories over former UFC champions including Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort and Daniel Cormier (twice).
Hamill, on the other hand, has gone 4-6 since the Jones fight, with his last three losses coming by way of finish. He is riding a one-fight win-streak.
There’s no need for the rematch now.
